If you were a rat, what would you dream of as you drift off to sleep? If you guessed how to snag your next meal, you think like a rat. In a study of the rodent’s brain, neuroscientists at University College London discovered the rats at rest map out the course that must be taken to obtain food, DailyMail.com reports. Scientists reached this conclusion by showing the rats food placed in a T-shaped track. The rats were not allowed to enter the track immediately, however. After a one hour rest, the scientists allowed the rats to go through the track to get the food. The rodent brain cell activity was the same, whether resting or running toward the food. Dr. Hugo Spiers, the lead neuroscientist on the project, said, “What we have found is that rats seem to simulate the future. While they could see the food, they were not able to reach it so when they were resting, their brains seem to go through the mental map they made of the space they had to walk through.” When the scientists conducted the experiments again, this time without food, the rats did not show signs of simulation. Goes to show you rats have a one-track mind.
Leave A Comment