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Brasilia – A recent Brazilian study revealed that octopuses, which are considered the most intelligent invertebrates, have two main alternating sleep patterns that are very similar to those of humans, and that they can even dream like him.
The Brazilian researchers said that these results provide new evidence that the octopus possesses a complex and sophisticated nervous system that forms the basis of a repository of equally sophisticated behaviors, while also providing a broader view of the development of sleep, which is a function. important vital of the organism. organism.
The octopus was known to sleep and change color during sleep.
In the new study, the researchers put a type known as “insularis” under observation in a laboratory. And they found that this color change is related to two different sleep states, “quiet sleep” and “active sleep.”
During “a quiet sleep”, the octopus remains still, its skin is pale in color, and its eyes are almost closed. During “active sleep,” your skin color and texture change and your eyes move as your body shrinks and muscle spasms occur.
The researchers note that this is repeated during sleep, as “quiet sleep” typically lasts about seven minutes compared to less than a minute for “active sleep.”
The researchers noted that this cycle appears to be similar to “rapid eye movement” and “slow eye movement,” which are two sleep patterns in humans as well as other mammals, birds, and reptiles.
Lucid dreaming occurs during rapid eye movements, breathing becomes irregular, heart rate increases, and muscles become paralyzed.
As for sleep, when the eye movement is slow, it is characterized by being deeper and less dreamy.
The head of the research team, Silvia Medeiros, said the results indicate that the octopus may be dreaming or experiencing something similar.
“If an octopus really dreams, it is unlikely that it will experience stories and narratives with complex connotations like we do,” added Medeiros, a neuroscience doctoral student at the Brain Institute of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte.
“The duration of active sleep in the octopus is very short and usually lasts from a few seconds to a minute.” And if there are any dreams during this case, it should be more like little video clips or even pictures. “
Behind all this, scientists are striving to better understand the origin and development of sleep.
