An interesting piece in Quanta Magazine on sharp-wave ripples, a pattern of brain wave activity that occurs during sleep.
“Over the past few decades, researchers have worked to uncover the details of how the brain organizes memories. Much remains a mystery, but scientists have identified a key event: the formation of an intense brain wave called a “sharp-wave ripple” (SWR). This process is the brain’s version of an instant replay — a sped-up version of the neural activity that occurred during a recent experience. These ripples are a strikingly synchronous neural symphony, the product of tens of thousands of cells firing over just 100 milliseconds. Any more activity than that could trigger a seizure.”
Here is report from the Society for Neuroscience meeting where sharp-wave ripples are explained:
