Rats dream about where they want to go

http://www.newscientist.com/article...-the-places-they-wish-to-go.html#.VZD7qkYhEuc

Do you dream of where you'd like to go tomorrow? It looks like rats do.

When the animals are shown a food treat at the end of a path they cannot access and then take a nap, the neurons representing that route in their brains fire as they sleep – as if they are dreaming about running down the corridor to grab the grub.

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Well we don't know what sleep and dreaming is about or for, except your memory and judgement is impaired if you are deprived of either or both.

So there are alternate explanations. They may be remembering and learning, not planning future actions.

Ray McCarthy said:

They may be remembering and learning, not planning future actions.

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The article showed additional pathways during dream sleep, that were matched later when the rats were given the same situation, but without the barriers to food. Wish-fulfilment is reportedly a common dream element.

No wonder I wake up with a sore back, must be dream-running to Californee to grab the grub n' sunshine.

I wonder if that's the way they train London Cabbies? Promise them a pint and curry at the end of the run.

Mad Alice said:

I wonder if that's the way they train London Cabbies? Promise them a pint and curry at the end of the run.

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That's just wrong.

I wonder if rats have a dream equivalent to the human one of falling and if you crash into the ground, you die. I bet theirs is like they are lying on a mousetrap and seeing the little metal crossbar snap in slow mo towards their neck.

I know for a fact that both dogs and cats have REM sleep.
Years ago when I had a dog she would dream, her face and paws would often twitch (as if chasing a cat or rabbit) and sometimes she would bark waking herself up.
I often see my cats faces twitching in their sleep while waving there tails, possible dreaming about other cats?

They dream about cheese then ?

Bird food.

Forget bacon or Cheese. Extensive experiments baiting traps have established that
Mice like Peanut butter best. I don't think it matters if smooth or crunchy.
Rats quite like Guinea Pig food (tunnelled into run), but find mixed bird food / seeds irresistible, "glue" it to plate of large live trap with peanut butter. A small trap isn't interesting enough quantity.

Let out anything not a rat from large trap. Especially extremely cross birds.

Cheese seems least favourite for rodents, and pork / bacon / beef fat (dripping) works better than actual bacon. But the peanut butter and bird food are wonderful discoveries. The mice will eat bird food, but much prefer the peanut butter. The rats don't seem to care for the peanut butter.

For sake of those of a delicate disposition, I won't explain what happens to the rats caught in the large live animal trap.

Ray McCarthy said:

Rats quite like Guinea Pig food (tunnelled into run), but find mixed bird food / seeds irresistible, "glue" it to plate of large live trap with peanut butter. A small trap isn't interesting enough quantity.

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The giant small-dog sized rats in Hackney seem to love all manner of fast food that the towpaths next to River Lea provide in plentiful manner, as well as the entire loaves of sliced bread that some people seem to think birds like to eat. (When I say whole loaves, I'm not talking about a big pile of processed bread crumbs made from an entire loaf, I'm talking about the loaf's slices scattered about as if they thought the pigeons might want to make a sandwich.) I've seen it on many occasions on the way to the bus, so I can only assume it's the actions of one strange individual who likes to feed the birds but hasn't quite worked out how to do it properly.

Anyway, the big rats seem to like soft white bread slices from the number of times I see them feast on such messes...

Venusian Broon said:

the big rats seem to like soft white bread slices

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Yes, they might. Generally too, bread is bad thing to put out for birds, especially ducks.

Ray McCarthy said:

Yes, they might. Generally too, bread is bad thing to put out for birds, especially ducks.

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Especially intact slices