Moon fish. About a huge and strange fish moon Pictures of fish of the moon

03.05.2020

“... In the distant warm sea, where there are no ice floes, a sad sun-fish lives. It is large, round and only swims straight. And can't dodge the teeth of a shark fish. That's why it's sad..."
White Bear, mother of the bear cub Umka

Indonesia one of the best places in the world to watch moon-fish(she is sun fish or mola-mola), many divers come to Indonesia solely for an unforgettable encounter with amazing fish. What is this curiosity? She has many names: Chinese - Fang Che, Korean - Gae-god-chi, Japanese - Manbo, English - ocean sunfish, Mola, Russian - and even head fish. The moon fish reaches a length of up to 4 m and a weight of up to 2 tons (this is the heaviest of all bony fish), it is a poor swimmer, adults spend most of their time near the surface of the water, lying on their side and lazily flipping high fins. The moon fish is the most prolific fish: one female spawns up to 300 million eggs. This is a tribute to predators, so that at least a few units can continue the existence of the species. If you add all the eggs side by side, you can get a chain 300 kilometers long! The larvae emerging from the eggs have an elongated body and a normal caudal fin. In fry 1 cm long, the body becomes spherical, large spines appear on it. The fry are so unlike adults that they were considered a separate species of fish.

The fish, charming for many, does not seem to shine with mental abilities, the weight of the brain of this giant is only 4 grams (!).

A short, strongly laterally compressed body approaches the shape of a disk (" mola" in Latin means "millstone"). The back of the body seems to be chopped off and ends in a wavy edge, which is a modified fixed caudal fin. The dorsal and anal fins are narrow and high, opposing each other and set far back. The head ends in a very small mouth in the shape of a parrot's beak. Jaws without teeth. The teeth are replaced by a solid enamel plate. The unusually thick and elastic skin of the moon-fish is covered with small bony tubercles. The color of the moon-fish is dark gray or brown, with light spots of irregular shape and different sizes. If a fish raises its fin above the surface of the water, it is often mistaken for a shark.

Alfred Bram wrote:

“... In an irritated state, the moon-fish grunts like a pig; some claim that the moon-fish in the water glows, although others deny this. The meat of this fish is very tasteless, like glue, with a disgusting smell; if it is boiled, it can be used as glue ... "

Mola-mola feeds mainly on plankton. The moonfish is limited to sucking in prey that swims past within reach: shrimp, larvae, mollusks, jellyfish or fry.

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In appearance, they are very different, but they are part of the pufferfish order, having similarities in the structure of teeth and skin and the absence of gill covers. They belong to different suborders: fugu are dog fish, and the moon is moon-shaped, in which there is only one family (Molidae) and the most famous representative is Mola mola. Due to the almost rounded shape of the body, it is sometimes called the sunfish.

Amazing appearance

The strangest thing about this huge fish is the lack of a tail fin. It looks like a piece has been cut off from her body. In fact, all representatives of the lunate have atrophied the back of the spine, and with it the tail. In this place they have a cartilaginous plate that performs the function of an oar, which is supported by fragments of the caudal and dorsal fins. Thanks to such a short body, there is another name - fish-head.

Other appearance features:

Tall, laterally flattened and short body looks like a disk.
The dorsal fin is very high and set back.
The anal fin is symmetrical in location to the dorsal fin (located directly below it) and is almost the same in shape.
There are no pelvic fins, and the pectoral fins are small.
The eyes are quite large, and the mouth is very small, reminiscent of a parrot's beak.
The color can vary depending on the habitat from brown to gray-silver, sometimes with a variegated pattern.

You can see these amazing features of appearance in the photo of the fish of the moon.

An interesting fact: like a flounder that changes color when the surrounding background changes, the moon at the time of danger can also change its color.

Similarity to other pufferfish

Fish - the moon in its position in the fish system is related to, because they both belong to the order of pufferfish, but to different families. They are made similar by such structural features:

The gills are not covered with lids. In front of the pectoral fins, small oval openings are clearly visible - gill slits.
There are no teeth on the jaws, they are all fused into two continuous enamel plates: one is located on the lower jaw, the second on the upper. (Other representatives of the order of puffer-shaped dental plates have four, for example, y).
There are no scales on the skin.

The peculiarity of the skin of the moon is protection from predators and fishermen

This unusual fish-head has a special skin. Like all fellows in the pufferfish order, it does not have scales, but the skin itself is very rough and thick, covered on top with abundant mucous secretions. At first glance, it may seem that the rounded and flat body of the moon is highly vulnerable due to its bare skin. But nature took care of its safety, providing the skin with specific additions:

The role of scales is played by small bony protrusions located on the surface of the skin.
Directly under the skin is a very powerful layer of cartilage. Its thickness is from 5 to 7.5 centimeters.

Thanks to such features of the skin, the fish - the moon is reliably protected from the harpoons of fishermen: it is quite difficult to break through such a strong protection. The harpoon bounces off the moonfish's body or slides along the flat side of its body.

Predators (sharks and killer whales) are serious enemies of these slow moving fish. Having bitten off the fins, and thus immobilizing the moon, they begin to tear apart her body. But even sharks succeed with noticeable efforts: it is difficult for them to bite through a thick layer of the skin of their prey.

Size, weight and other features

The giant fish-moon has an impressive size, growing to a length of three or more meters.

From the Guinness Book of Records, information is known about an individual that was caught off the coast of Australia (near the city of Sydney, September 1908). Its length was 310 centimeters, and its height (from the tip of the dorsal fin to the tip of the anal) was 426 centimeters. The body weight of this specimen was more than 2 tons (2235 kilograms).
The book "Animal Life" mentions the truly super-giant size of the fish of the moon: off the Atlantic coast in the northwestern part of the United States in the state of New Hampshire, a specimen was caught, the length of which was 550 centimeters, but the weight remained a mystery. The average size is about two meters with a height of two and a half (height is the distance between the ends of the fins).

The head fish is considered the heaviest of all its bone counterparts currently known to science. The lateral line sense organs are absent, and there is no swim bladder.

Behavior, movement and nutrition

Looking at the photo of the fish-moon, it becomes clear why it is difficult for her to keep her body upright in the water: it is very flat and there is no normal tail.

Head fish swim using the anal and dorsal fins, moving them like oars. Changing the position of these fins helps them maneuver a little while moving (like the wings of birds). The pectorals act as movement stabilizers.

How does the giant moonfish make turns while swimming? To turn, it uses the reactive principle: releasing a strong stream of water from the gills or mouth, it itself moves in the opposite direction.

Mola mola spends a lot of time lying on its side in the water column. She was once considered a poor swimmer, unable to withstand strong currents, and she was on the lists of oceanic macroplankton. But recent careful observations indicate that an individual of this species can reach speeds of up to just over 3 kilometers per hour, and in a day it is able to swim a distance of 26 kilometers.

Ordinary moon range

The common moonfish lives in all oceans except the Arctic. She prefers tropical and temperate waters.

Individuals living in different hemispheres (Northern and Southern) differ slightly at the genetic level.

This species is pelagic and prefers deep waters: the lower limit of their distribution is a depth of 844 meters. Most often, adults are found deeper than 200 meters. The results of other studies show that they spend a third of their time in the surface layers of water (no deeper than 10 meters).

Comfortable water temperature

Fish of this species are usually found in places where the water temperature is more than 10 degrees. If they stay in colder water for a long time, they can lose their orientation in space or even die. Sunfish can often be found lying on their side right on the water surface, while their fins can appear above the water. An exact explanation for this behavior has not yet been found. There are two versions:

Individuals that have risen to the surface are sick or dying. Often they are very easy to catch, and their stomachs are usually empty.
Before diving into deep layers of water (colder than surface), all representatives of this species do this, warming up their bodies in this way and preparing for diving.

How does she eat

The moon fish eats very funny. She cannot catch up with her prey, being unable to develop sufficient speed, therefore she sucks up water with her mouth and with it everything that appears in this stream of water. The basis of its diet is made up of various zooplanktonic organisms, including salps, jellyfish and ctenophores.

Sometimes the remains of algae, starfish, crustaceans, sponges, eel larvae and other small fish were found in the digestive system of caught specimens of this species. This confirms the fact that they feed in different layers of water: in the bottom and in the surface.

There are descriptions of the interesting behavior of the moonfish when it hunts mackerel. Finding a flock of mackerel, it accelerates (as far as possible with its bulky body) and with great force falls flat on the water surface. Such a maneuver stuns the victim, and mackerels become available prey for the hunter. But these are exceptional situations.

Harbinger of disaster?

Even large individuals of the sunfish are not capable of causing harm when meeting a person. Yet in a number of places on the South African coast, fishermen have a superstitious fear when they meet this fish off the coast in shallow water. In such a situation, they rush to return to the shore, considering this meeting a harbinger of trouble.

The moon often approaches the shores on the eve of worsening weather conditions, so people began to associate its appearance with an impending sea storm or storm.

Moon fish, sun fish, head fish - these are all the names of one oceanic fish, the moon-shaped family, or moon-fish, (Molidae). This family includes five species of moonfish, the most common of which is Mola mola.
Fish - the moon is the largest of modern bone fish, an adult individual of which on average reaches 3 m in length and 150 kg in weight. The Guinness Book of Records recorded data on a fish that was caught in 1908 near Sydney, its body length was 4.26 m, and its weight was 2235 kg.

Although there is evidence that in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, near the US coast (New Hampshire), a specimen 5.5 m long was caught, the mass of which remained unrecorded.

The habitat of the moon fish is tropical, subtropical and temperate waters of the oceans. However, this fish-sun goes to spawn only in the tropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. Some adult fish can be carried by warm currents and still penetrate warm temperate waters.

In the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, fish can be seen near Newfoundland, Iceland, Great Britain, in the Baltic Sea and along the coasts of Norway and the Kola Peninsula. You can also meet this fish in the Sea of Japan and the Kuril Islands.

The moon fish surprises with its unusual appearance. Her body is compressed from both sides, while it is very high and short. If you look at the fish in profile, it seems that it is round and resembles the disk of the full moon, and the full face of the fish is more like a millstone. Also, if you look closely at this giant, it resembles a well-known fish - a flounder. Thanks to this appearance, this fish got its names (moon, sun, head).

The body of the fish is covered with a skin that is quite thick and at the same time elastic like cartilage. The skin of the fish is protected by small bone tubercles, which act as scales, since this fish is deprived of true scales. Due to this structure of the skin, the moonfish is not afraid of direct hits from the harpoon, it simply bounces off such armor. The color of the covers is varied, you can see fish brown, silver-gray, white, sometimes with patterns.

The caudal fin of the fish is absent, and instead of it - a tuberculate pseudo-tail. This feature is associated with a complete reduction of the pelvic girdle. The dorsal and anal fins are large and fused together. The sunfish swims lying on its side, alternately turning over its fins, while small pectoral fins stabilize the position of the body.

To steer (to control the direction of movement), fish release a jet of water from their mouths or gills. With this body shape, the moonfish is a very poor swimmer, it uses passive locomotion. However, at the same time, she uses the features of her anatomy - exposing her large triangular dorsal fin out of the water, it scares away people-catchers who, due to inexperience, can mistake her for a shark.

Basically, this fish swims at a depth of 100-400m. But there are some specimens that rise to the surface of the water. Many researchers believe that only sick fish swim on the surface of the water. As evidence, the fact that the contents of the stomachs of fish caught on the sea surface is very small is given.

Fish go to shallow water during a storm. This feature of the moon fish was noticed by the local residents of the coastal islands, and they consider its appearance in the coastal waters to be a bad omen, as it is a sign of an upcoming storm. On the other hand, it is a reliable harbinger of fishermen.

The head of the fish ends in a small mouth, similar to the beak of a parrot. This non-closing beak is formed by four fused front teeth. The fish sucks in prey - zooplankton. In the pharynx are pharyngeal teeth, which are quite long and perform the function of grinding food.

Confirmation of this can be found by looking at the data on the study of the contents of the stomach. It contained crustaceans, small squids, ctenophores and jellyfish. But there is also evidence of active catching of prey, the well-known Russian scientist, ichthyologist Vedensky, said that he had witnessed an unprecedented hunt for mackerel by the moonfish. During it, the sunfish accelerates as fast as it can with its body and jumps out of the water, flopping to the surface and stunning the victim.

The fish skeleton consists mainly of cartilaginous tissue, it has fewer vertebrae compared to other bony fish, for example, in the mola mola species - there are only 16 of them. An adult moonfish does not have a swim bladder.

The brain is very small - 4 g, which explains the apathetic behavior of the fish. So, for example, a person can freely approach her in the water at a fairly close distance and she will not be afraid. The sunfish can produce sounds by rubbing its pharyngeal teeth. About what ichthyologist Alfred Bram wrote: "In an irritated state, the moon-fish grunts like a pig."

These fish are solitary, very rarely they can be found in pairs, and even more so in a flock. Their spawning begins in July and ends in October. Mating takes place on the surface of the water. The number of eggs laid by one individual is huge - 300 million pieces, which indicates a high degree of embryo death. The size of each egg is approximately 0.1 cm.

If you lay out all the eggs in a row, you can get a chain 300 km long. When the fry of the moon-fish are born, they are 6 million times smaller than the volume of their mother. Given the limited habitat of moonfish, it can be assumed that the survival rate of juveniles is very low.

In their life cycle, all moon-fish go through several stages of development, development goes with metamorphosis, since all forms are different and do not resemble each other. Having emerged from the eggs, the larvae resemble pufferfish (rounded body, large head).

Then, on the body of the larvae, which did not die and grew up, wide bone plates appear, the protrusions of which will gradually turn into sharp long spikes. As the larva grows, the caudal fin and swim bladder disappear, and all the fish's teeth fuse into a single plate.

Fish larvae and juveniles swim like all bony fish. The fry are very different from adult fish and until recently they were considered a separate species.

It is difficult for the moonfish to move in the thickness of the ocean, so it easily becomes prey for sharks, killer whales, sea lions and other large predators. When hunting them, predators try first of all to bite off their fins in order to generally immobilize the lethargic fish.

The population of the moon-fish is also threatened by humans: in many Asian countries, the meat of this fish is considered to be curative in connection with which their large-scale catch is carried out. According to the latest data that scientists have received, the meat of these fish is toxic, because, like pufferfish, it contains the poison tetrodotoxin, which often leads to death.

But still there are lovers who just eat her meat boiled or fried. In his reviews, Alfred Bram wrote: “The meat of this fish is very tasteless, like glue, with a disgusting smell; if it is boiled, it can be used as glue.

But if you eat the liver, milk or caviar of these fish, then definitely a person will receive serious poisoning, which can lead to death. But for a person in their natural habitat, these fish are not dangerous, and many lovers of underwater beauty go specially to Indonesia (Bali) to see it and swim next to it in natural conditions.

For lovers of aquariums, a regrettable conclusion can be drawn - the moon fish is not suitable for keeping in a closed system - captivity (aquarium, pool), because it does not adapt and quickly dies. This is due to the inability to provide real living conditions for these fish.

Since the study of the behavior and lifestyle of these organisms was carried out very superficially, out of the five existing species, only one has been studied.

Did you know that the sun and moon are not only in the sky? Don't believe? Take a look into the underwater world - there are also their "luminaries". Deep under water, in the seas and oceans, there lives a fish called "moon". Her appearance gave her such a name. Take a look at the photo of the fish-moon - an underwater luminary, and only - it is almost completely round!

But the unique appearance is not the only "achievement" of this fish. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the moonfish is the largest bony fish on planet Earth! About the size of the record holder a little later, but first - a scientific classification. The sunfish belongs to the order of pufferfishes of the class of ray-finned fishes. The family and genus that this fish belongs to bear the same name "moon-fish".

Photo of the fish of the moon - underwater luminary

What does a Guinness Book record holder look like?

The largest individual ever caught in the world reached a length of 4 meters 26 centimeters, and weighed 2235 kilograms!

The flat disc-shaped body does not allow the moonfish to swim like all ordinary fish - vertically. This representative of the ray-finned class spends most of the time lying on its side, but not at the bottom, but closer to the surface of the water.

The moon fish has very thick skin, with such “armor” this marine inhabitant is not afraid of external blows.

And this record holder has a very small brain, out of the entire multi-ton body mass, it accounts for only 4 grams. It is for this “flaw” that the moonfish received from scientists the insulting nickname “round fool”.

The moon fish is the largest bony fish on the planet!

Where does the moon fish live?

Its habitat is considered to be the temperate and tropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. This huge underwater inhabitant is found off the coast of Iceland, Great Britain, Norway. In addition, fish are found in the Baltic Sea and near the Kola Peninsula. It also comes across in the Sea of Japan, as well as near the Kuriles.

Underwater moon lifestyle

Round big fish prefers a solitary lifestyle. Very rarely come across pairs of these marine life.

As already mentioned, this fish swims poorly, after all, a large heavy body makes itself felt. Therefore, often, the moon fish simply swims, picked up by the current, but where - she does not know!

The depth of habitat of the moon fish does not exceed 600 meters from the surface of the water. But often it can be seen right on the surface. It’s as if this fish doesn’t care about anything, it would like to lie down, if only no one touches it!

There is one interesting belief among people: if you see a moonfish close to the shore, then this means the imminent onset of a natural disaster. This is how the unsuspecting moonfish, swaying on the waves, does not even know what a bad omen is.

What does the giant fish eat?

The main food for her are squid, salps, eel larvae, jellyfish and ctenophores.

How does the process of reproduction of moon fish occur?

Among the fish "kingdom" the moon fish also holds another record - it is the most prolific. Each time during spawning, this underwater inhabitant lays about 300 million eggs! But such a large amount of caviar does not yet speak of the numerous offspring of fish - most fry do not have time to grow to adulthood, becoming the prey of lovers of young meat. Spawning takes place in tropical areas.

When the baby fish of the moon is born, it is 60 million times smaller than its parents! On his body, you can find outgrowths, like spikes, which disappear with age.

The natural enemies of the moon fish, who are they?

Due to the slowness of the fish, even despite its size, it is constantly hunted by other large aquatic predators. They swim up to the clumsy fish and literally bite off a piece of it.

Or sleepwalking is a special state of the nervous system, in which a sleeping person has a disinhibition of the motor centers in the absence of consciousness control over them. It is manifested by automated actions performed by a person in a dream. During an episode of sleepwalking, the patient gets out of bed and begins to perform various movements from simple walking to complex motor acts such as climbing, balancing, showing miracles of dexterity and strength. Diagnosis is based on a description of the patient's behavior and EEG data. In most cases, drug treatment is not required, but antidepressants, antipsychotics can be used, depending on the complexity of the case.

General information

Somnambulism, or sleepwalking, is a special condition in which a person unconsciously performs complex movements during sleep in full accordance with the dream scenario that he sees at that moment. The disease belongs to a group of sleep disorders that are called parasomnias in the medical literature. A sleeping person experiencing an episode of somnambulism is called a somnambulist.

People far from medicine often call the disease sleepwalking. This is based on the historical misconception that the manifestations of the disease are caused by the energy of moonlight. According to statistics, approximately 15% of the world's population has experienced an episode of sleepwalking at least once in their lives. This condition is equally common among men and women. The largest number of cases of somnambulism occurs in children (4-8 years).

Causes of somnambulism

Somnambulism always appears in the phase of slow sleep, in the first half of the night and is associated with the occurrence of sudden bursts of electrical activity in the brain. Scientists have not yet been able to explain the true mechanisms of sleepwalking. However, there is a hypothesis that to some extent explains the development of this phenomenon. During sleep, in a healthy person, inhibition processes begin to predominate in the brain. Normally, they cover all areas at the same time. With somnambulism, individual neurons exhibit non-standard electrical activity, as a result of which part of the brain structures is disinhibited. That is, it turns out not “full”, but “partial” sleep. At the same time, the parts of the nervous system responsible for consciousness remain "sleeping", and the centers responsible for movement, coordination and subcortical formations begin an independent life.

An example that "partial" sleep is possible is the sentinel's ability to fall asleep while standing. At the same time, the brain is in a state of sleep, and the centers responsible for maintaining balance are in an active state. Another example is a mother rocking a restless baby in a cradle. She is able to fall asleep, but her hand will continue to move. In the examples described, such a “partial” falling asleep was determined by the psychological mood, that is, the cerebral cortex purposefully draws up a program for the behavior of lower nervous structures. In the case of sleepwalking, the awakening of certain areas of the brain occurs without the control of the cortex and is due to abnormal electrical activity of individual nerve cells.

In adults, somnambulism can be observed in various neurological diseases: hysterical neurosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Parkinson's disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc. during the day, chronic sleep deprivation (for example, due to insomnia). A loud noise during sleep, a sudden flash of light, bright lighting in the sleeping room, including the full moon, can trigger the partial “awakening” mechanism. That is why people from ancient times associated somnambulism with the full moon, since its light in the absence of electricity was one of the main provocateurs of "abnormal" behavior.

People tend to attribute somnambulism to mystical phenomena, surrounding it with an aura of prejudices and myths. In fact, sleepwalking is the result of brain malfunction, in which the processes of inhibition and excitation during sleep are out of balance.

Symptoms of somnambulism

Although somnambulism is called sleepwalking, a wide variety of movements can occur with it, from simply sitting in bed to playing the piano. Usually an episode of sleepwalking begins with the patient sitting up in bed, while his eyes are open, the eyeballs are most often motionless. For the most part, after a few minutes, the somnambulist goes back to bed and continues to sleep. In difficult cases, the sleeping person gets out of bed and starts moving around the house. It can be just aimless walking, while his face has an absent expression, his arms hang limply on the sides of his body, his body is slightly tilted forward, his steps are small. And sometimes a somnambulist is able to perform complex sets of actions, for example, get dressed, open a door or window, climb onto a roof, walk along the eaves of a building, play the piano, look for a book on a bookshelf.

However, for all cases of sleepwalking - from the simplest to the most complex - there are common characteristics that are always present and are diagnostic features. These include: lack of clear consciousness during an episode of sleepwalking; open eyes; lack of emotions; the complete absence of memories of the committed actions after waking up; completion of an attack of sleepwalking with deep sleep.

Lack of clear consciousness. Despite the fact that during sleepwalking a person is able to show such miracles of dexterity that he is never capable of in the waking state, all his actions are automatic and not controlled by consciousness. Therefore, the somnambulist cannot make contact with the person who stopped him, does not respond to questions, is not aware of the danger, and can harm himself or others, depending on the dream scenario.

open eyes. In a person in an episode of sleepwalking, the eyes are always open. This is used to diagnose true somnambulism and attempts to simulate it. The gaze is focused, but "empty", can be directed into the distance. When trying to stand in front of the somnambulist's face, his gaze will be directed through the standing one.

Lack of emotion. Since during sleepwalking the control of consciousness over the process of movement is disabled, there will also be no manifestations of emotions. A person's face is always detached, "meaningless", it does not express fear, even when committing obviously dangerous actions.

Electroencephalogram and polysomnography helps to differentiate true somnambulism from nocturnal seizures in temporal lobe epilepsy. According to the features of the registered brain potentials, the presence or absence of a focus of pathological impulses, which is characteristic of epilepsy, is judged. If signs of epilepsy are detected, the patient is referred for a consultation with an epileptologist.

Treatment of somnambulism

The treatment of somnambulism is a rather complex and controversial issue. In domestic neurology, the following tactics have been adopted in the treatment of parasomnias: if episodes of sleepwalking in children occur rarely (several times a month), are simple in nature (limited to sitting in bed, trying to put on clothes), last no more than a few minutes, do not pose a threat to life and health of the patient, then the expectant technique without the use of drugs is preferable.

In these cases, they are limited to preventive measures aimed at preventing the development of sleepwalking episodes or interrupting them at the very beginning. So, a wet towel placed near the bed in most cases is a simple but effective way to wake up the patient at the moment when he got out of bed. An irritant in the form of a temperature effect on the feet causes a rapid disinhibitory effect on the cerebral cortex and the child wakes up. In addition, methods that contribute to the normalization of the psycho-emotional background before bedtime include salt or herbal baths with lavender extract, pine needles; "evening ritual", when going to bed is accompanied by a standard set of actions that are repeated every day (for example, bathing, reading a fairy tale, wishing good night).

With prolonged and often recurring episodes of sleepwalking, which include complex actions and are accompanied by a danger to the life and health of the patient, the use of drug therapy becomes mandatory. Drugs that are used in somnambulism include: antidepressants, antipsychotics, sedatives. The choice of a particular drug depends on the neurological and mental status of the patient.

The treatment of somnambulism, which developed against the background of diseases of the nervous system, is primarily associated with the elimination of the primary factor. For example, removal of a tumor in oncological diseases of the brain, the appointment of antiepileptic drugs for temporal lobe epilepsy, correction of senile dementia in old age.

Forecast and prevention of somnambulism

The prognosis for somnambulism depends on whether it is true or whether it is a manifestation of other diseases of the nervous system. Sleepwalking, which is due to the immaturity of the brain in children, has a favorable course and disappears spontaneously in adolescence. Somnambulism in adults, which developed against the background of a brain tumor, mental illness or epilepsy, depends entirely on the severity of the underlying pathology. The occurrence of episodes of sleepwalking in old age may indicate developing dementia and is unfavorable.

Prevention of somnambulism in children is to create a calm psychological atmosphere in the family, the school team. A positive effect on preventing the occurrence of any form of parasomnia has a restriction of watching TV before bedtime, preventing children from accessing films and programs containing scenes of violence, cruelty, and intimate life. A preventive measure that helps prevent the development of episodes of sleepwalking is the early diagnosis of diseases of the nervous system and psyche.