Can you dance in your sleep? French research video shows woman 'replaying' her day's activity in bed

Can you dance in your sleep? French research video shows woman 'replaying' her day's activity in bed - It was England footballer Peter Crouch who made 'the robot' dance famous - but can he do it in his sleep?

New video evidence suggests that he may, or that humans, at least, are able to repeat learned patterns of behaviour while in the land of nod.

Researchers at France's Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris devised a simple test to explore the brain's potential while the body is at rest.

See the video below

While awake; Subjects were first asked to touch a series of coloured buttons when prompted by the screen

Up high: There was a yellow button at head height to their side to create a clear and obvious movement

The team, led by Delphine Oudiette, taught a motor task to people with sleep behavior disorders, those who typically move their bodies in tandem with dreams, reports Wired.

Their belief was that the test subjects might repeat the task while sleeping, providing evidence of what sleep researchers call 'replay'.

'Replay' is the hypothesis that the brain 'replays' the actions of the day while we sleep.

It had traditionally been thought that the brain was a blank canvas for neurological activity in that period, because people tend to better remember facts after a good night's sleep, rather than when more tired.

Second stage: Subjects were then asked to repeat the movements, while awake but lying in a bed

While asleep: This woman was most susceptible to the test and moved her hands around in line with the task choreography while catching some shut eye

However, evidence has increasingly shown that brain activity during sleep is very similar to its activity while learning.

Oudiette's team took on that gray area, asking subjects to hit a series of coloured buttons when shown the corresponding colours on a TV monitor.

Celebration: England striker Peter Crouch is known for his 'robot' dance

They were then asked to simulate the task while lying - awake - in bed.

Further, they were videoed while asleep and the results showed in many instances that their movements during sleep mimicked their movements during the test.

And in the woman featured in the video below, recorded on March 21, the test choreography was performed accurately.

In isolation, it looks as if she is performing 'the robot' dance in her sleep.

'To our knowledge, the present findings represent the first direct and unambiguous demonstration of overt behavioral replay of a recently learned skill during human sleep,' wrote the researchers.

The findings, reported in Public Library of Science ONE, could provide 'highly valuable information about cognitive and motor processes occurring during sleep.' ( dailymail.co.uk )