What causes REM sleep
After REM sleep was discovered, scientists experimented on cats to find out which part of the brain causes this stage of sleep. In 1962, Michel Jouvet discovered that cats with damage to the pons, a small region of the brain stem, do not have REM sleep. Meanwhile, damage to the higher levels of the brain does not seem to have any effect on REM sleep. Thus, it was determined that REM sleep is produced in the pons.
