One common trait that all humans and animals share is the need for sleep. Even though sleep is a necessity for humans and animals to properly function, there are many disorders that interfere with sleep, such as insomnia and night terrors. Another disorder that certain animals experience is called "local sleep" where part of the brain sleeps while the animal is still awake. Two big questions researchers have are why this happens, and if it can also occur in humans. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, Madison have received a grant worth a total of $7.7 million over 5 years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the NIH, to study this sleep disorder. In the first year of the grant, the Wisconsin team will receive $1.6 million to perform in depth research into why, and how, this occurs in some animals, and if it is possible for humans to experience this disorder as well.
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This research grant will be used to support 3 research cores related to sleep:
- Administrative Core
- Analysis of Electroencephalography (EEG) Core
- Electron Microscopy Core
Lead researchers on this project, Dr. Giulio Tononi and Dr. Chiara Cirelli from the University of Wisconsin Center for Sleep and Consciousness, have devised the theory that sleep creates equilibrium in the synapses that is necessary for the brain to be able to learn more after resting. The Wisconsin researchers hope to learn if local sleep occurs in humans and if it is responsible for different issues that arise with a lack of sleep.
"These are fascinating questions and we now have the technical tools to study them at the level of the brain cell in animals and humans,” explained Dr. Tononi.
(Image courtesy of Biotechnology Calendar, Inc.)
The University of Wisconsin, Madison is a multi-million research marketplace.
Life science researchers in Madison receive millions of dollars each year to support current research projects and to help fund clinical trials and new research. In the 2014 fiscal year, the NIH awarded UW Madison $255.4 million in funding. Departments that received substantial amounts of this funding include:
- Medicine and Internal Medicine - $57.3 million
- Biochemistry - $19.1 million
- Pathology - $12.8 million
- Surgery - $11.9 million
- Ophthalmology - $7.7 million
- Neuroscience - $5.9 million
*Data from NIH RePorter
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To learn more about participating in the upcoming event on July 17, 2015, visit the link below.
Researchers in Madison are encouraged to visit the link below to learn more about attending this event and to pre-register:
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