Sleep News and Research

Latest Sleep News and Research

Understanding what causes narcolepsy

Results of a preliminary study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggest a step forward in our understanding of the processes behind narcolepsy; there appears to be an underlying autoimmune process for people with a certain genetic profile. Future diagnostic testing of people with this profile should lead to substantial improvements in disease treatment.

13 Dec 2004

Neurobiologists distinguish in unprecedented detail the patterns of brain activity

Using hairlike microelectrodes and computer analysis, neurobiologists at Duke University Medical Center have demonstrated that they can see the detailed instant-to-instant electrical "brainscape" of neural activity across a living brain.

8 Dec 2004

Research suggests that lack of sleep may be contributing to the obesity pandemic

The recent rise in obesity may be partly due to the reduced amount of time we spend asleep, according to new research from the University of Bristol, UK.

6 Dec 2004

Babies who do not sleep on their stomachs fail to learn behaviors that may lessen their risk SIDS

Babies who never sleep on their stomachs don't learn behaviors that may lessen their risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found. Even so, the researchers caution that infants should always be placed on their backs to sleep.

6 Dec 2004

Prevalence of overweight increased in children aged two to four years from low-income families

The prevalence of overweight increased from 1989 to 2000 in children aged two to four years from low-income families, according to an article in the December issue of The Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

6 Dec 2004

MRI reveals similarities between the human and chimpanzee brain

New MRI-based studies present more evidence that the brains of chimpanzees are human-like in terms of the relationships among brain asymmetry, handedness and language, according to research undertaken at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta.

6 Dec 2004

Sleep is the remedy for a bad day at work

A good night's sleep may be the remedy for a bad day at work, suggests a new University of Florida study on the unexplored relationship between job satisfaction and the shifting moods of employees.

2 Dec 2004

New method measures emotional quality of daily experience

For Marcel Proust, the taste of a madeleine conjured remembrance of the distant past. In today's multi-tasking, hyper-speed world, it can be a trick to remember what we did yesterday.

2 Dec 2004

Researchers develop method to better measure people's quality of life

A new research method that quantifies people's quality of life -- beyond how much money they make -- could lead to a national index of well-being, similar to key measures of economic health.

2 Dec 2004

Exposure to methamphetamine in the womb causes adverse developmental effects

International studies suggest that children exposed to methamphetamine in the womb are likely to suffer adverse developmental effects – either because of the drug, or the environment in which they are subsequently raised.

29 Nov 2004

Discrimination could lead to an increase in mental health problems among gay men, lesbians and bi-sexual men and women

In a report published today in the British Journal of Psychiatry, the team from Imperial College London, University College London and the University of Brighton found that high levels of discrimination including physical attacks and bullying could be linked to high levels of mental disorder.

29 Nov 2004

Effective management of insomnia begins with recognition and adequate assessment

A seminar in this week’s issue of THE LANCET outlines the common but poorly understood condition of insomnia, concluding that awareness and assessment of insomnia by family doctors is a priority.

29 Nov 2004

Parents are more likely to get a good night’s sleep if they take their babies out in the early afternoon

56 healthy, full-term babies were monitored for three consecutive days at six, nine and twelve weeks’ old. Parents were supplied with an environmental light monitor attached to a small teddy bear with Velcro fastenings, so that it could be attached to a pram handle or cot or placed near the baby.

23 Nov 2004

Discovery of gene mutation in fruit flies that alters sensitivity to crack cocaine

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and New York University have discovered a gene mutation in fruit flies that alters sensitivity to crack cocaine and also regulates their internal body clock.

23 Nov 2004

Researcher highlights hidden problem of smoking after pregnancy

Most women know to drop cigarettes and alcohol while they are pregnant. In fact, about half of women smokers now quit smoking when they become pregnant.

9 Nov 2004

Scientists have identified a fault in the brain waves of schizophrenics that may explain their hallucinations and disturbed thinking

The researchers studied the brain waves of normal and schizophrenic patients as they responded to images. Those with the disorder showed no electrical activity in a certain frequency-the “gamma” range, from 30 to 100 brain waves per second-that healthy brain cells use to exchange information about the environment and form mental impressions.

9 Nov 2004

Obese and overweight men spend 3.5 times more on prescription drugs than normal-weight men

As middle-aged men’s weight goes up, so do their monthly costs for prescription drugs to treat heart disease risk factors and weight-related conditions, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2004.

8 Nov 2004

Comprehensive studies of sleep and medical intern performance

better understand the impact sleep has on medical intern performance, researchers at BWH pioneered two studies both designed to underscore and support efforts hospitals can take to improve patient safety.

1 Nov 2004

New research could address sleep problems associated with alcohol

New research about how alcohol affects sleep could lead to medications to address a common reason some alcoholics go back to drinking – disturbed sleep when they try to stop.

28 Oct 2004

First study to measure the influence of night-shift work on hormone levels that may affect breast-cancer risk

Three years ago, investigators at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center made headlines nationwide when they published the results of a population-based study that suggested women who work the graveyard shift have an increased risk of breast cancer as opposed to women who work the day shift.

26 Oct 2004

Sleep News and Research

Latest Sleep News and Research

Understanding what causes narcolepsy

Neurobiologists distinguish in unprecedented detail the patterns of brain activity

Research suggests that lack of sleep may be contributing to the obesity pandemic

Babies who do not sleep on their stomachs fail to learn behaviors that may lessen their risk SIDS

Prevalence of overweight increased in children aged two to four years from low-income families

MRI reveals similarities between the human and chimpanzee brain

Sleep is the remedy for a bad day at work

New method measures emotional quality of daily experience

Researchers develop method to better measure people's quality of life

Exposure to methamphetamine in the womb causes adverse developmental effects

Discrimination could lead to an increase in mental health problems among gay men, lesbians and bi-sexual men and women

Effective management of insomnia begins with recognition and adequate assessment

Parents are more likely to get a good night’s sleep if they take their babies out in the early afternoon

Discovery of gene mutation in fruit flies that alters sensitivity to crack cocaine

Researcher highlights hidden problem of smoking after pregnancy

Scientists have identified a fault in the brain waves of schizophrenics that may explain their hallucinations and disturbed thinking

Obese and overweight men spend 3.5 times more on prescription drugs than normal-weight men

Comprehensive studies of sleep and medical intern performance

New research could address sleep problems associated with alcohol

First study to measure the influence of night-shift work on hormone levels that may affect breast-cancer risk

Researchers listen in on how fat cells “talk” to the brain

The Increasing Use of Microfluidics in Labs and Hospitals

Designing a new treatment to treat migraine effectively

Drug Discovery eBook

Sleep News and Research

Latest Sleep News and Research

Researchers listen in on how fat cells “talk” to the brain

The Increasing Use of Microfluidics in Labs and Hospitals

Designing a new treatment to treat migraine effectively

Drug Discovery eBook

Newsletters you may be interested in