A recent study conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School suggests that daydreaming may play a crucial role in brain plasticity. The study tracked the activity of neurons in the visual cortex of mice while they were in a state of quiet waking. The researchers found that the neurons fired in a pattern similar to when the mouse looked at an actual image, indicating that the mouse was daydreaming about the image. Moreover, the patterns of activity during the mouse’s first few daydreams predicted how the brain’s response to the image would change over time. The researchers believe that daydreaming may guide the brain’s ability to discriminate between different images, leading to improved learning and memory. Further research is needed to confirm these findings.
https://hms.harvard.edu/news/what-happens-brain-while-daydreaming