What is the brain's 'reality signal'?

The answer

In 2025, scientists discovered a 'reality signal' - a specific neural mechanism the brain uses to determine whether an experience is real or imagined. The signal is generated by the fusiform gyrus (a brain region involved in visual processing and recognition) and is then evaluated by another region that essentially stamps the experience as 'real' or 'not real.' This discovery helps explain why dreams can feel so vivid yet are usually recognized as unreal upon waking, and why certain conditions like psychosis or hallucinations involve a breakdown in this reality-checking mechanism. The finding could lead to new treatments for schizophrenia and other disorders where the brain struggles to distinguish reality from imagination.