Journal article
REM-sleep twitching in adults and the maintenance of specialized sensorimotor systems
Current biology, Vol.36(7), pp.R286-R298
04/06/2026
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2026.02.048
PMID: 41946346
Abstract
Twitching, an abundant and spontaneous infant behavior and a defining feature of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, supports development of the sensorimotor system. For unknown reasons, twitching persists into adulthood. Whereas infantile twitches are distributed across all body parts, adult twitching appears to occur more selectively in those appendages used for active sensing, such as elephant trunks, rat whiskers, pig snouts, and raccoon hands. Notably, these specialized appendages also have disproportionately large representations in sensorimotor cortex, a phenomenon known as cortical magnification. We propose that active sensing and cortical magnification — or, more broadly, neural magnification — helps to explain the persistence of twitching in adults. These associations between twitching, active sensing, and neural magnification are likely a subcategory of a broader need to maintain and update vital sensorimotor functions. We contextualize this proposal within an evolutionary–developmental framework, with the functions of twitching shifting across the lifespans of diverse species, including invertebrates that lack a cerebral cortex. This comprehensive theory of twitching may yield new insights into sleep-dependent processes that support the development, calibration, maintenance, and repair of neuroplastic systems across the animal kingdom, and perhaps even inspire new therapeutic approaches for humans after limb amputation, stroke, or other injuries.
Blumberg et al. present video evidence of twitching during adult sleep in a diverse sample of animals. Adult twitching appears to selectively involve appendages used for active sensing, mirroring their magnified neural representations and supporting a role for twitching in the maintenance of specialized sensorimotor systems.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- REM-sleep twitching in adults and the maintenance of specialized sensorimotor systems
- Creators
- Mark S. Blumberg - University of IowaAbigail G. Myroth - University of IowaJacob Horton - University of IowaSaisha Pal - Green Valley High SchoolGreta Sokoloff - University of IowaJames C. Dooley - Purdue University West Lafayette
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Current biology, Vol.36(7), pp.R286-R298
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.cub.2026.02.048
- PMID
- 41946346
- NLM abbreviation
- Curr Biol
- ISSN
- 0960-9822
- eISSN
- 1879-0445
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- Grant note
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: R37-HD081168, R01-HD104616 Office of Under-graduate Research Iowa Sciences Academy
Preparation of this article was supported in part by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R37-HD081168; R01-HD104616) to M.S.B. A.G.M. was supported in part by the Office of Under-graduate Research and the Iowa Sciences Academy. We thank the following individuals for generously providing videos and/or permitting their use: Doug Adams, Jon Rex Anderson, Bri Andrassy, Liz Capaldi, Meredith Hickerson, Barrett Klein, Jerome Siegel, and Matt Waters.
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 04/06/2026
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9985152090102771
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