Unlocking the Night: Novel Approaches Advancing the Neuroscience of Sleep and Cognition
Date:
Lecture / Seminar
Time: 12:30-13:30
Location: Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
Lecturer: Prof. Yuval Nir
Organizer: Department of Brain Sciences
Abstract: In this talk, I will present recent studies in our lab, where new tools are push ... Read more In this talk, I will present recent studies in our lab, where new tools are pushing the boundaries of sleep research.In a first line of studies, we are investigating how sleep promotes memory consolidation in humans. To this end, we developed a novel ecological paradigm to study episodic memory without report; upon repeated viewing of special movies ,eye gaze patterns can quantify memory for specific events. Next, we show that deep brain closed-loop intracranial electrical stimulation during human sleep enhances hippocampus-cortex synchrony and memory performance. Finally, we examine how sleep and memory are disrupted in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) representing early Alzheimer’s disease (AD). To this end, we developed a novelmachine learning-based method to non-invasively detect interictal spikes occurring in the medial temporal lobe during sleep. This approach can help identify disruptions in hippocampus-cortex synchrony and memory consolidation during sleep.In the second line of studies, we investigate how reduced locus coeruleus-noradrenaline (LC-NE) activity during sleep mediates sensory disconnection. In rodents, the level of ongoing tonic LC activity during sleep anticipates sound-evoked awakenings, while minimal optogenetic LC activation or silencing increases and decreases such awakenings, respectively. Projection-specific investigation in mice indicates that an early surge of brainstem NE is particularly important for mediating sensory-evoked awakenings. These findings may shift how we view arousal- promoting neuromodulation; rather than acting in a diffuse hormonal-like manner, the LC-NE system may in fact operate through specific projection pathways, in a circuit-like manner. Finally, I will describe a novel method for monitoring gaze direction and pupil size through closed eyes in humans via short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging in combination with video analysis algorithms. This technology has potential to enable touchless and continuous monitoring of depth of anesthesia, pain, and detection of intraoperative awareness.Close abstract
