To learn more about the neuroscience behind this widespread behavior, he and his colleagues played with and tickled rats and observed the rodents’ brain activity.
Researchers studied how playing and being tickled affected rats’ brain activity.
Key brain areaTo learn more about how playing and being tickled affect rats’ brain activity, the researchers devised a series of experiments.
The researchers played “hand chasing games” with their rat subjects and gently tickled them, while tiny, wireless neural probes recorded the rats’ brain activity.
Furthermore, in trials where the scientists inhibited activity in this part of the brain, the rats were less inclined to play or laugh when tickled.
Persons:
Michael Brecht, they’re, Brecht, it’s, ” Brecht, “, ”, everyone’s, —, one’s, we’ve, Alexa Veenema, Veenema, ” Veenema, Kate Golembiewski
Organizations:
CNN, Bowl, Humboldt University, Michigan State University
Locations:
Berlin, Chicago