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.

Scientists propose a promising new tool based on optogenetics to study neurons

In many human endeavors, having good tools for a particular task is an essential requirement to obtain the best results possible, and neuroscience is no different than other scientific fields in this regard.

19 Aug 2020

Enhancing Breast Cancer Therapy through Killing ‘Sleeper Cells’

AZoLifeSciences speaks to Dr. James Whittle and Professor Geoff Lindeman about their research in enhancing breast cancer therapy through killing sleeper cells.

From Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) 6 Aug 2020

Phthalate exposure associated with sleep disruptions in midlife women

For menopausal women who have difficulty sleeping, it might be because of chemicals in the environment.

30 Jul 2020

cryo-EM images reveal proteins involved in brain activity

When the body continues to perform its daily biological processes neurotransmitters, regulate the level of electrical activity inside the brain.

18 Jun 2020

EEG study in split-brain patients shines light on sleep slow waves

The particular kind of waves that the brain produces during sleep, which repeatedly sweep the surface of the cerebral cortex, travel through the anatomical "highways" that connect distant areas of the cortical mantle, a new study in The Journal of Neuroscience shows.

18 Jun 2020

Disrupted circadian rhythms in older adults linked to increased risk of Parkinson's disease

Older men who have a weak or irregular circadian rhythm guiding their daily cycles of rest and activity are more likely to later develop Parkinson's disease, according to a new study by scientists at the UC San Francisco Weill Institute for Neurosciences who analyzed 11 years of data for nearly 3,000 independently living older men.

16 Jun 2020

Study uncovers two brain phenomena that may explain ketamine's side-effects

Researchers have identified two brain phenomena that may explain some of the side-effects of ketamine. Their measurements of the brain waves of sheep sedated by the drug may explain the out-of-body experience and state of complete oblivion it can cause.

12 Jun 2020

Damped circadian oscillations observed in the absence of KaiA protein in cyanobacterium

Circadian rhythms are driven by a highly autonomous, self-sustaining circadian clock in our cells, telling us when to sleep or wake up in a 24-hour cycle.

27 May 2020

Fruit fly study helps explain why it is so hard to wake up on a winter morning

Winter may be behind us, but do you remember the challenge of waking up on those cold, dark days? Temperature affects the behavior of nearly all living creatures, but there is still much to learn about the link between sensory neurons and neurons controlling the sleep-wake cycle.

26 May 2020

The brain suppresses outside information during dreaming phase

Scientists from the CNRS and the ENS-PSL in France and Monash University in Australia have shown that the brain suppresses information from the outside world, such as the sound of a conversation, during the sleep phase linked to dreaming.

18 May 2020

Anti-cancer medicine could improve current therapy for ER+ breast cancer

The anti-cancer medicine venetoclax could improve the current therapy for estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer - the most common form of breast cancer in Australia - according to preclinical studies led by Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers.

7 May 2020