During sleep the brain's reaction to sound remains strong but one critical feature of conscious attention disappears (Determine if truly unconscious or brain dead)

Medical Xpress / Tel-Aviv University / Nature Neuroscience ^ | July 12, 2022 | Hanna Hayat et al

[ConservativeMind]

A new discovery may provide a key to a great scientific enigma: How does the awake brain transform sensory input into a conscious experience? The study relied on data collected from electrodes implanted, for medical purposes, deep in the human brain. The information was utilized to examine differences between the response of the cerebral cortex to sounds in sleep vs. wakefulness, at a resolution of single neurons.

The researchers were surprised to discover that the brain's response to sound remains powerful during sleep in all parameters but one: the level of alpha-beta waves associated with attention to the auditory input and related expectations. This means that during sleep, the brain analyzes the auditory input but is unable to focus on the sound or identify it, and therefore no conscious awareness ensues.

… Dr. Haya says that "…But looking at the data from the electrodes, we were surprised to discover that the brain's response during sleep was much stronger and richer than we had expected. Moreover, this powerful response spread to many regions of the cerebral cortex. The strength of brain response during sleep was similar to the response observed during wakefulness, in all but one specific feature, where a dramatic difference was recorded: the level of activity of alpha-beta waves."

The researchers explain that alpha-beta waves (10-30Hz) are linked to processes of attention and expectation that are controlled by feedback from higher regions in the brain. …Thus, for example, when a certain sound is received in the ear, the higher regions can tell whether it is new or familiar, and whether it deserves attention or not. According to the current study, the strength of alpha-beta waves is the main difference between the brain's response to auditory inputs in states of wakefulness vs. sleep.

[punknpuss]

It is interesting how our brains tune into sounds that we should pay attention to when we are asleep.

Anyone who has raised babies will know what I mean.

And after the babies are grown sleep becomes uninterrupted, until a new a sound becomes worthy of attention.

In my Father’s late years he was close to invalid. I was tuned into his noises while I slept just like I was when my kids were babies.

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I had the same reaction with my son when a baby and later my father who slept in the bedroom next to me. There were times in the last few months of his life where he would slide out of bed and not be able to pull himself back up or where he would slip to the floor and need help. I would be alerted by some odd sound and find him in trouble and he would ask, “How did you know I needed help?” I do have excellent hearing though (better than most people of my age).

[Nifster]

Bwahahahaha

Have a blessed day

You started off saying you didn’t think a scientific study was correct. Not me