Sleep News and Research

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Sleep is a physiological behavior that is common in all animal species. It forms around one third of a human life. It is not known clearly the exact functions of sleep but it seems to be essential for survival as prolonged sleep deprivation leads to severe physical impairment followed by cognitive loss and eventually death.

New Study Reveals How Brain Tags Important Memories During Sleep

Why do we remember certain moments while forgetting others? Every day, our minds are bombarded with thousands of pieces of information, yet our brains have a limited capacity to consolidate these experiences into lasting memories.

28 Aug 2026

Study Uncovers Cellular Accumulators Tracking Brain Electronic Sleep Pressure

Why does staying awake inevitably make us sleepy? Researchers at the University of Basel, Switzerland, have identified neuronal populations in the brain of mice that become activated during prolonged wakefulness and are crucial for sleep drive.

20 Aug 2026

Mapping Spatial Genome Architecture Unlocks Hidden Biological Mechanisms Behind Genetic Risk

Much of how genetic risk leads to disease has remained hidden. In many cases, genetic variants linked to disease do not act on nearby genes along the chromosome. Instead, they influence genes located far away along the DNA sequence.

5 Aug 2026

Researchers Identify Neurons Responsible for Regulating Motivated Behavior

What enables us to sustain effort toward goals, even when the task becomes increasingly difficult? A recent study by researchers at Nagoya University in Japan revealed the underlying brain mechanism, showing that orexin neurons play a crucial role in driving and regulating motivated behavior.

3 Aug 2026

Sleep helps neural networks recover adaptive performance after absorbing daily life shocks

Every animal that has ever been studied closely, from the fruit fly to the philosopher, surrenders each day to a state that looks, from the outside, like a small rehearsal for death.

1 Jul 2026

The Simple Way to Help Protect Your Dog’s Stomach Before a Kennel Stay

Dog owners preparing for summer holidays are being urged to think about their pet’s food routine before a kennel stay, as search data shows rising demand for boarding options ahead of the busy June and July travel period.

30 Jun 2026

Melatonin Enhances Random Skin Flap Viability by Suppressing Ferroptosis

Random-pattern skin flaps are widely used to repair defects caused by trauma, burns, tumor removal, and other injuries because they can be designed without depending on a single named blood vessel.

29 Jun 2026

Body Clock Protein Drives Macrophages Into Pro-Inflammatory States

Daily life is shaped by the solar day, influencing when we wake up, eat, work, and sleep. Inside the body, a similar internal timing system -present in nearly every cell- known as the circadian clock, synchronizes many biological functions such as sleep, metabolism, hormone release, and even the immune system's activity.

12 Jun 2026

CU Boulder Study Shows Genetic Link Between Mental and Physical Illness

For centuries, mental illness and physical disease have been viewed as two distinct categories, each with its own field of study, its own doctors, and its own menu of treatments.

10 Apr 2026

Study Reveals How Trypanosomes Fine-Tune Protein Production Through Destruction

To survive in the human bloodstream, the African trypanosome parasite wears a "cloak" made of proteins known as a variant surface glycoprotein (VSG). The study, published in Nature Microbiology, identifies the protein that allows the parasite to fine-tune this "cloak".

31 Mar 2026

Genetic Analysis Uncovers Shared Biology Across Major Psychiatric Conditions

Although mental disorders have multifactorial causes, genetics can explain some of them, yet this field remains largely unexplored in terms of guiding diagnoses and treatments.

10 Mar 2026

New Stem-Cell Derived Platform Advances Study of Neural Network Maturation

An EEG (electroencephalogram) is a painless test that uses small sensors placed on the scalp to measure the brain's electrical activity.

19 Feb 2026

Microglia Found to Drive New Neuron Growth in Adult Hippocampus

Breakthrough research from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine is revealing how immune cells in the adult brain can regulate the generation of new neurons.

10 Feb 2026

Fly Pigmentation Study Uncovers Genes Influencing Dopamine, Sleep, and Movement

Dopamine in the brain influences movement, learning, motivation and sleep. In humans, problems with dopamine are linked to conditions like Parkinson's disease, depression and sleep disorders.

14 Jan 2026

Computational Tool Maps the Dance of Circadian Synchrony

What makes someone a "morning lark" or a "night owl?" Why does jet lag hit us so hard, and why do some people struggle each winter with seasonal affective disorder?

26 Dec 2025

Stem Cells Mimic Earliest Stages of Brain Development in a Dish

Researchers have made great strides to understand early signs of autism. Studies have found that certain factors like genetics, sleep deprivation, excess fluid in the brain-and brain size-can increase the risk of neurodevelopmental conditions, like autism.

26 Dec 2025

Stem Cell Models Offer Insights Into Early Brain Development and Autism

24 Dec 2025

Senescent Fibroblasts in the Tumor Niche Rewire Lung Cancer Metabolism and Plasticity

Senescent fibroblasts are aging cells that no longer divide and protect against tumor development. Yet two decades have gone by since cell biologist Judith Campisi, PhD, paradoxically demonstrated that these same cells can promote cancer growth in a laboratory setting.

5 Dec 2025

Rare Stress-Sensitive Neurons Hold the Key to Healthy Brain Blood Flow

While the exact causes of neurodegenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia are still largely unknown, researchers have been able to identify a key characteristic in affected brains: reduced blood flow.

12 Nov 2025

Understanding Interplay of Physiological Processes as the Brain Shifts from Wakefulness to Sleep

Findings from Mass General Brigham investigators highlight the intricate interplay of diverse physiological processes as the brain shifts from wakefulness to sleep.

27 Oct 2025