All these fast, slow and intermediate electrical impulses and
synaptic connections happen continuously, with their pace peaking in the morning.
Most researchers interpret this activity as the brain slowly reinforcing
synaptic connections that already exist, but Tononi noticed that after each wave, the brain goes completely silent, which never
happens when we're awake.
After conducting studies in both humans and mice, the researchers said this new schizophrenia risk gene, called C4, appears to be involved in eliminating the
connections between neurons — a process called «
synaptic pruning,» which, in humans,
happens naturally in the teen years.