东北大学研究人员发现了快速眼动睡眠（REM睡眠）中的一个能量悖论现象1。研究表明，在梦境阶段，尽管脑血流量增加，但神经元可直接利用的能量分子ATP反而下降1。这一发现表明做梦可能需要极高的脑内处理强度，使得神经元消耗能量的速度快于补充速度1。
研究团队通过创新的成像技术获得了这一发现1。他们使用紫外线固化树脂保持小鼠头骨透明，通过广视场荧光成像追踪脑血流量的变化，发现REM睡眠开始前约50秒，脑血流量就已经开始增加1。同时观察到在REM睡眠阶段，星形胶质细胞中的丙酮酸升高，但神经元内的ATP却下降1。东北大学教授Ko Matsui表示："睡眠看似平静，但大脑高度活跃——尤其是在做梦时"1。这项研究成果已发表在《通讯生物学》（Communications Biology）2026年第9卷第1期1。
Researchers at Tohoku University have discovered an energy paradox during REM sleep: despite increased blood flow to the brain during dreaming, the supply of directly usable energy molecules to neurons actually declines.1 The findings suggest that dreaming demands exceptionally high levels of neural processing intensity, causing neurons to consume energy faster than it can be replenished.1
The study employed an innovative technique in which ultraviolet-cured resin kept the skulls of mice transparent, allowing researchers to track changes in cerebral blood flow using wide-field fluorescence imaging.1 Cerebral blood flow begins to increase approximately 50 seconds before REM sleep commences.1 During the REM sleep stage itself, levels of pyruvate in astrocytes—supportive brain cells—rise, yet ATP, the key energy molecule neurons depend on, declines in these nerve cells.1 The work has been published in Communications Biology, Volume 9, Issue 1, 2026, with the DOI 10.1038/s42003-026-10646-6.1
Ko Matsui, a professor at Tohoku University, characterized the phenomenon by noting that "sleep appears peaceful, but the brain is highly active—especially during dreaming."1
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