Balancing Prediction and Surprise: A Role for Active Sleep at the Dawn of Consciousness?
Frontiers in systems neuroscience January 1, 2021 Matthew N Van de Poll, Bruno van Swinderen 23 citations
The brain’s ability to predict is vital, yet it must also adapt to surprises. Emotional responses to unexpected events can significantly influence memory consolidation, with positive or negative cues shaping internal models of the world. In a study involving diverse species, including invertebrates, it was proposed that active sleep—characterized by REM—is crucial for optimizing predictive processing. This mechanism may help maintain a balance between prediction and surprise, providing insights into the evolution of consciousness across various animals.