Yasmina Kattou, edited by Yanis Darras 07:38, March 13, 2023
On the occasion of the start of "brain week" this Monday, many scientists are meeting all over France to study and popularize their knowledge around this precious organ.
Still full of mysteries, the brain is intriguing because its activity is sometimes unique, especially when we sleep.
Do you really know your brain?
From this Monday, several hundred scientists will give free conferences all over France to highlight the advances and knowledge on this organ which still keeps many mysteries.
Among the most misunderstood mechanisms: the boiling of our brains when we sleep.
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Thus, when deep sleep sets in, when one becomes less sensitive to light and noise, a sort of "self-washing" of the brain, in the true sense, takes place.
During this period of our sleep, "there is an activation of the cerebrospinal flow, this liquid in which the brain is bathed. And it is this liquid which will come to enter the brain to clean and remove all the toxins which are are accumulated during the day so that it can operate in the best conditions", explains at the microphone of Europe 1, Armelle Rancillac, neuroscientist at INSERM.
Store long-term information
Objective: to protect us from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
Another process carried out: the brain organizes the storage of information accumulated while you are asleep.
Because, "when we sleep, we will go over everything that happened during the day to try to sort out this information. Then, we will also have in particular a transfer of information from a certain region brain to another to be sure to store the information in the long term. It's really a cellular process that only takes place during sleep", notes the scientist.
And the latter reminds us: it is important to sleep well if you want to have a good memory, advising to rest at least between seven and nine hours each night.