For many decades, sleep researchers have sought to determine which species ‘have’ rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. In doing so, they relied predominantly on a template derived from the expression of REM sleep in the adults of a small number of mammalian species. Here, we argue for a different approach that focuses less on a binary decision about haves and have nots, and more on the diverse expression of REM sleep components over development and across species. By focusing on the components of REM sleep and discouraging continued reliance on a restricted template, we aim to promote a richer and more biologically grounded developmental–comparative approach that spans behavioral, physiological, neural, and ecological domains.

中文翻译：

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什么是快速眼动睡眠？

几十年来，睡眠研究人员一直试图确定哪些物种“具有”快速眼动（REM）睡眠。在此过程中，他们主要依赖于少数哺乳动物成年动物快速眼动睡眠表达的模板。在这里，我们主张采用一种不同的方法，较少关注富人和穷人的二元决定，而更多地关注快速眼动睡眠成分在发育过程中和跨物种的多样化表达。通过关注快速眼动睡眠的组成部分并阻止继续依赖受限模板，我们的目标是推广一种更丰富、更具有生物学基础的发育比较方法，涵盖行为、生理、神经和生态领域。