Sleep Disorders

Although the need for sleep is universal and many people experience sleep disorders, its role in the physiology of disease is not widely understood. Sleep studies may help in discovering the molecular bases of sleep disorders could lead to improved treatments for insomnia, shift work, jet lag, age-related sleep disturbances, fatigue, and narcolepsy.

SRI's research is organized into two programs:

Human Sleep Disorders Research

Researchers in the Human Sleep Research Laboratory at SRI's Center for Health Sciences conduct sleep disorder research that tests the nervous system during sleep. In comprehensive studies of brain structure and function, they use a combination of cognitive tests, electroencephalography measures, and innovative magnetic resonance imaging techniques.

Neurobiology and Sleep

Sleep researchers in SRI Biosciences discovered hypocretin/orexin (H/O), a neuropeptide system that stimulates arousal and is involved in sleep regulation. Using differential gene expression approaches, SRI researchers are studying the relationship between the H/O system and sleep disorders.

Projects

a glowing blue neuron
Hypocretin Agonists as Treatments for Narcolepsy + Wakefulness

SRI sleep researchers are working to discover and develop new treatments for narcoleptic patients.

Topics: Human Sleep Medicinal Chemistry Sleep Disorders
Salivary Biomarkers, Life Stress + Nicotine Dependence

Predicting individuals' vulnerability to nicotine dependence could identify factors in genes and the environment that help to explain the success or failure of attempts to prevent tobacco use and addiction.

Topics: Addiction Research Biomarkers Molecular Genetics Sleep Disorders Stress Disorders
middle-aged woman relaxing on bed
Sleep and Reproductive Transitions in Menopausal Women

Sleep complaints are common during the transition to menopause, yet we have little understanding of what drives this increase in sleep disturbance and how best to treat it. SRI researchers are investigating sleep quality in women who have begun to go through menopause.

Topics: Human Sleep Sleep Disorders
twin boys
Twin Research Registry at SRI International

SRI established the Twin Research Registry as part of its scientific research and efforts to discover more about human behavior. Fraternal and identical twins and multiples of all ages are invited to join the Registry for consideration for research studies.

Topics: Addiction Research Aging Research Behavioral Health Disease Focus Areas Human Sleep Metabolic Diseases Neurodegenerative Diseases Neuroscience Sleep Disorders Twins Research

Press Releases

Gary Swang, director of SRI International's Center for Health Sciences
Gary Swan Elected President of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco

Gary E. Swan, Ph.D., director of SRI International's Center for Health Sciences, has been elected by the membership of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) as its president-elect and will serve as president in 2012.

Topics: Addiction Research Aging Research Disease Focus Areas Human Sleep Neurodegenerative Diseases Neuroscience Sleep Disorders Statistical Analysis
Specific Changes in the Brain Associated with Sleep Deprivation Described in New Study by the Allen Institute for Brain Science and SRI International

Researchers at the Allen Institute for Brain Science and SRI International have published the most systematic study to date of the effects of sleep deprivation on gene expression in the brain.

Topics: Sleep Disorders
SRI International Announces Recipients of Its 2010 Fellowship Award

SRI International has announced its 2010 Fellowship Award recipients: Thomas Kilduff, Elizabeth Shriberg, and Mary Wagner.

Topics: Sleep Disorders
SRI International Study Examines Link Between Smoking Cessation and Sleep Problems

SRI International announced a new study conducted for the National Institutes of Health to investigate the effects of smoking cessation and related treatments on sleep. The study is one of the first collaborations of its kind between scientists studying sleep and those studying nicotine addiction.

Topics: Addiction Research Sleep Disorders
Study Links Regular Bedtimes to Better Language, Reading and Math Skills in Preschool Children

Children in households with bedtime rules and children who get adequate sleep score higher on a range of developmental assessments, according to a research abstract that will be presented Monday, June 7, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010.

Topics: Sleep Disorders

SRI In the News

Sleep Loss in Early Childhood May Contribute to the Development of ADHD Symptoms

According to a new study recently presented at SLEEP 2011, short sleep duration may contribute to the development or worsening of hyperactivity and inattention during early childhood. Erika Gaylor, Ph.D., a senior researcher at SRI and lead author of the study is quoted in the article.

Topics: Sleep Disorders

Events

Cafe Scientifique Silicon Valley at SRI logo
Cafe Scientifique Silicon Valley @ SRI

Dr. Fiona Baker will discuss differences in sleep between men and women and discuss her research about the influence on sleep quality and sleep architecture of the hormonal changes associated with the menstrual cycle as well as during the transition to menopause, when insomnia is a common symptom.

Topics: Sleep Disorders
Cafe Scienfique Silicon Valley @ SRI: Raging Hormones and Their Effects on a Woman's Sleep Quality over Her Lifetime (Part 3)

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