Sleep, Unconsciousness and the Brain. With Adrian Owen
Oct 24, 2023
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Dr. Adrian Owen, a renowned neuroscientist, discusses his research on sleep, consciousness, and cognition. He discovered that individuals in a vegetative state could communicate and challenged the assumption that they have no awareness. The podcast also explores the impacts of sleep on cognitive function, the importance of the frontal lobes in decision-making, and offers practical advice for maintaining mental fitness.
Optimal sleep duration for cognitive function is between 7 and 8 hours, with less or more sleep causing cognitive decline.
Using Muse, a digital sleeping pill, can improve overall sleep quality.
Brain training apps may improve specific cognitive skills but do not enhance overall intelligence.
Deep dives
The Largest Sleep and Cognition Study
Dr. Adrian Owen discusses the largest sleep and cognition study ever conducted, involving 40,000 participants. The study aimed to explore the impact of different sleep habits on cognitive function, such as memory, concentration, problem-solving, and decision-making. The findings revealed that between 7 and 8 hours of sleep is optimal for cognitive function, while most people reported an average of 6.4 hours of sleep. Those who slept less than 6.5 hours experienced poorer cognitive performance and showed signs of aging cognitively. Interestingly, too much sleep was also detrimental, with cognition declining beyond the optimal 7 to 8 hours of sleep.
The Effectiveness of the Muse Digital Sleeping Pill
Dr. Owen and his team conducted a study to test the effectiveness of the Muse digital sleeping pill in improving sleep. The study used the Pittsburgh Sleep Index to measure sleep quality and found that participants who used Muse for six weeks reported improved sleep scores on the questionnaire. Although the study did not specifically identify which aspects of sleep were improved, the results showed a significant overall improvement in sleep quality across various intervention methods involving the Muse device, including independent usage or with coaching.
The Limits of Brain Training Apps
Dr. Owen discusses the limitations of brain training apps in improving cognitive function. He highlights a study involving 11,600 participants, which showed that while brain training may lead to improvement in specific tasks that were practiced, there was no evidence of general cognitive improvement. The results indicated that the benefits of brain training did not transfer to other cognitive abilities. Dr. Owen emphasizes that mental fitness is similar to physical fitness in that targeted training may enhance specific cognitive skills, but it does not create overall intelligence or make a person 'smarter' in a comprehensive sense.
Maintaining Mental Sharpness
Dr. Owen provides recommendations for maintaining mental health and staving off cognitive decline. He suggests prioritizing good sleep hygiene, maintaining a healthy diet, engaging in physical exercise, and nurturing social connections. These factors have been shown to have a positive impact on cognitive function and mental well-being. Dr. Owen also highlights the importance of mental stimulation through activities that challenge the brain and promote continued learning.
The Unexpected Awareness of Vegetative State Patients
Dr. Owen discusses his groundbreaking research on patients diagnosed as being in a vegetative state, demonstrating that some individuals in this state are actually conscious and aware. Through brain imaging techniques, he and his team were able to identify brain activity in response to stimuli, such as familiar faces, indicating consciousness. They further discovered ways to communicate with these patients, allowing them to answer yes or no questions and provide insights into their experiences. This research challenges the previous belief that individuals in a vegetative state lack consciousness and highlights the need for individualized care and communication approaches.
Dr. Adrian Owen, a renowned neuroscientist, discovered that individuals in a persistent coma could still communicate- and he went one step further and listened to what they wanted to say. He’s also performed the largest sleep and cognition study in the world, and demonstrated why brain training apps are bunk, and what we can do to sleep better and improve our own conscious function.
Dr. Owen is a Professor at The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, Canada and the former Canada Excellence Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience and Imaging.
His research combines neuroimaging (MRI and EEG), with cognitive studies in brain-injured patients and healthy participants.
His lab studies patients who have sustained brain injuries that result in disorders of consciousness. They also study patients with neurodegenerative diseases in order to understand more about the causes and consequences of the memory, perception and reasoning problems that many of them experience.
Finally, he develops web-based tools for the assessment of cognitive function, both in healthy participants and in patients with disorders of the brain.
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