Blinking Allows the Brain to Take a Little “Nap”

Japanese researchers have found that one of the reasons we blink could be to provide the brain with a chance to take a “little” nap. The study was conducted by researchers at Osaka University who analyzed the brain scans of around 20 healthy young adults as they watched through segments of British comedy series, Mr Bean.

The researchers found that when the participants blinked, it was accompanied by reduced activity in visual cortex, somateosensory cortex and other regions of the brain that deal with managing attention. The study has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Science.

The researchers then conducted another experiment where they inserted 165 millisecond worth of blank segments for every minute into the video. The researchers discovered that though the blank segments provided the same period of non-activity to the viewers, it did not produce the same effect as blinking on the brain.



Source-Medindia