"Brain Scans Reveal How Sleep Deprivation Triggers Zoning Out Moments"

Recent research reveals that sleep deprivation leads to cognitive lapses due to changes in cerebrospinal fluid dynamics, providing insights into how brain function is affected during wakefulness.

• Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology used functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography to study the effects of sleep deprivation on cognition.
• Cerebrospinal fluid dynamics were found to correlate with moments of zoning out, illustrating a significant physiological change in the brain during periods of reduced wakefulness.
• The study highlights that these brief lapses in attention, common among the sleep-deprived, are not merely mental fatigue but involve complex physiology affecting cognition.