"Neuroscientists are trying to work out why the brain does so much when it seems to be doing nothing at all."
Because it's busy maintain a 3D model of it's surrounding environment. When the brain is deprived of such stimulus, in sleep, it is provided through dreams.
The conclusion is as moronic as the rest of the article. Every single organ in the body "truly rests" only when dead.
How do they distinguish between resting state and non-resting state?
In monkeys?
Electroencephalography (EEG) records different brain waves based on brain alertness state.
That sounds backwards. Isn't the experiment supposed to measure the brain state of a resting mind, and then measure the brain state of an engaged mind, and compare the results?