Scientists have discovered how the brain solves problems during rest and

American researchers have discovered features of brain activity that help link new experiences with previously acquired knowledge. Their work shows that the development of new information is closely related to its inclusion in the already formed system of representations. The results were published by Science Mail with reference to the journal Nature Communications.

In the experiment, rats were trained to look for rewards in a maze with six possible locations. Each place had its own combination of smell and taste signal. After the animals learned these connections, the scientists changed them: first, the three combinations were rearranged, then all six. In the early stages, the rats slowly mastered new conditions, as they had to rebuild their familiar associations.

However, an hour of rest outside the maze markedly improved results. When the animals returned to the task, they found the reward much faster. The researchers compared this leap to sudden insight: during rest, the brain combined fresh information with accumulated experience, which helped to cope with the changed task.

To find out how this happens, the researchers studied short episodes of concerted activity in the hippocampus, a region of the brain that plays an important role in memory. These high-frequency oscillations lasted only 40 to 80 milliseconds and occurred during sleep or restful wakefulness. At the same time, there were bursts of activity in the prefrontal cortex. Such coordination, according to the researchers, is involved in the restructuring of neural connections. When the scientists suppressed these fluctuations with electrical signals, the improvement in the results after rest disappeared.

The findings support the idea of the brain as a flexible cognitive map: it is able to use past experience to find new ways to solve problems.

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