Yale scientists discovered that the brain’s hippocampus has a generative coding capacity that allows it to combine representations of 15 unrelated experiences that occurred in a single day into single sub-second events during sleep. This computer-like capability enables the brain to process multiple experiences simultaneously without interference. The findings shed light on how humans and animals can encode and remember various experiences at once. The study involved recording the activity of hippocampal neurons in rats as they navigated different contexts, with results showing that the brain can flicker between representations of different experiences during sleep. This research has significant implications for understanding memory, learning, and cognitive function.
https://news.yale.edu/2024/08/14/sleep-it-how-brain-processes-many-experiences-even-when-offline