Sleep Science Podcast

We humans have long wondered if it is possible to learn while we sleep but, experimental findings on this have often been disappointing. You will now be happy to learn that the tide has turned in this respect, since we now have firm proof that it IS indeed possible to learn new information while you sleep.  However - the information your brain can pick up in this manner might not exactly go as easy as you hope it would. In this episode, we interviewed Dr. Anat Arzi and Dr. Thomas Andrillon two of the first researchers to incontrovertibly demonstrate that the human brain can learn during sleep. They tell us about the similarities and the differences between their results and we speculate about the possible reasons behind the disparities. Produced by:  Eniko SimoSee the web profiles of Anat and Thomas:Publications discussed in the program:o   Humans can learn new information during sleep; Arzi, A. et. al. Nat. Neuroscie. 2012.o   Olfactory aversive conditioning during sleep reduces cigarette-smoking behavior; Arzi A. et. al. Journal of Neuroscience 2014.o   Formation and suppression of acoustic memories during human sleep.  Andrillon, T. et. al. Nature Communications, 2017.o   Sleepers Selectively Suppress Informative Inputs during Rapid Eye Movements.  Andrillon, T. et. al. Current Biology, 2020.Glossary:Associative learning = a learning process in which a new response becomes associated with a particular stimulus.Perceptual learning = repeated exposure enhances the ability to discriminate between two (or more) otherwise confusable stimuli.Aversive learning = a form of conditioning where an aversion is created toward a targeted behaviour or item by pairing it with an unpleasant stimulus. Thalamic gate = the thalamus filters sensory information. All sensory inputs go through the thalamus except for olfaction (sense of smell). Peaks & Troughs = the highest and lowest points of oscillations. In this case, of the brain waves during Slow Wave Sleep. Tag = a marker that can be attached to some kind of information indicating that it has a special status (e.g. it may be more strongly replayed or consolidated) Check out our NaPS website to find out more about the podcast, our research and events. This recording is the property of the Sleep Science Podcast and not for resale.

In this episode we examine how sleep differs between species to get some clues about  what sleep actually is as a phenomenon. How have marine animals solved the problem of sleeping when they regularly need to come up for air? And how do amphibians adapt their sleep architecture from life at sea to life on the land? What can mice running on their wheels tell us about what may be happening in our brains when we're performing tasks on autopilot? How do states like hibernation or torpor relate to sleep? Are sleep stages really as homogeneous as we like to think? Might even plants show some ability to learn connected to their circadian rhythms? We will find out the answers to all of these questions and more in conversation with Dr Vlad Vyazovskiy.If you'd like to find out more about Dr Vyazovskiy's work you can find his Oxford University profile and a link to Oxford's Sleep & Circadian Neuroscience Institute below.Vlad recommends the following articles if you'd like to learn more about hibernation, wheel running, or local sleep:https://theconversation.com/could-humans-hibernate-54519https://theconversation.com/why-running-could-keep-you-awake-at-night-69320https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sleeping-while-awake/GlossaryCrepuscular = active during twilightDiurnal = Active during the dayDown state = silent/non-firing period of a neuronHomeothermic = animals that maintain a stable body temperatureLTP = Long Term Potentiation, a long-lasting strengthening of synaptic connectionsPhotoperiod = day lengthSleep homeostasis = the pressure to sleep that builds up with time awake. It is linked to the accumulation of adenosine as we break down ATP to provide energy for various activities.Check out our NaPS website to find out more about the podcast, our research and events. This recording is the property of the Sleep Science Podcast and not for resale.

In this episode we ask Gina Poe, a sleep scientist from UCLA, about her seminal work on both REM and non-REM sleep. We talk about the role of memory replay in REM, how to measure such replay in rats, as well as the ways in which REM impacts upon emotional representations, and may even help us to combat post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  We also discuss the importance of sleep spindles for updating conceptual knowledge.  Finally, we describe Professor Poe's ground-breaking findings on local sleep and how these may change the face of sleep research in the future. Produced by: Eniko SimoSee Professor Poe's faculty profile:https://www.ibp.ucla.edu/faculty/gina-poe/Find the research papers mentioned in this episode here:https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/39/12/2201/2706367https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096098221831279X?via%3Dihubhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00221-014-3890-4https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/jwh.2020.8332Glossary:EEG = Electroencephalography is an electrophysiological monitoring method for non-invasively recording the electrical activity of the brain via electrodes placed on the scalp. Heterosynaptic plasticity = when synaptic pathways that were not directly stimulated themselves undergo changes (synaptic plasticity) as a result of neighbouring synapses being stimulated. Often this means that as one pathway is used and strengthened, an unused neighbouring pathway gets weakened.PTSD = Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.Schema = a cognitive framework or concept that helps organize and interpret information.Spindle = distinct brain waves with frequency 11-16 Hz (measured with EEG).Theta = 4-8 Hz brainwave frequencies.Check out our NaPS website to find out more about the podcast, our research and events. This recording is the property of the Sleep Science Podcast and not for resale.

In this episode we look back on the beliefs and practices people had around sleep in the 16th-18th centuries. We learn about why sleep was thought so important for health, how various habits and superstitions arose around sleep often rooted in medicine or religion, and how the bedroom became a symbol of status and power. We also cover how the electrification of society radically changed our relationship with sleep.Produced by:  Dominic CarrIf you'd like to learn more about Professor Sasha Handley's work on the history of sleep, or are interested in checking out her book, feel free to follow the links below:Professor Handley's researcher profile: https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/sasha.handley.htmlGoodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28819134-sleep-in-early-modern-englandAmazon link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleep-Early-Modern-England-Handley/dp/0300220391More on the How We Used to Sleep Project: http://www.historiesofsleep.com/This recording is property of the sleep science podcast and not for resaleCheck out our NaPS website to find out more about the podcast, our research and events. This recording is the property of the Sleep Science Podcast and not for resale.

In this episode, we speak with Professor Bob Stickgold, one of the most prominent researchers in the field of sleep science. Bob tells us about the early days of sleep research and how he and other scientists struggled to convince the world that sleep really is important for memory.   He also talks about methodological subtleties to investigate the role of sleep on cognitive functions, the purpose of dreaming, and offline default mode processing in general, and what he sees as the most interesting future research directions of sleep.Produced by:  Eniko SimoSee Professor Stickgold's faculty profile here.  His new book 'When Brains Dream' is here.If you'd like to read more about the topics Professor Stickgold mentioned you can find some of his related publications here:1) Karni and Sagi's 1994 Science paper on how sleep boosts visual discrimination2) Bob Stickgold's 2000 Nature Neuroscience paper on sleep and the visual discrimination task3) Matt Walker's 2000 Neuron paper on how sleep boosts performance on the finger tapping task4) a sample of Erin Wamsley's work on dreams5) a 2000 review, in Science, of Bob's early thoughts on sleep, memory, and dreams.Glossary:p-value = a statistical measure to test if the findings of an experiment are significant. 0.01 means a robust paradigm. This recording is property of the sleep science podcast and not for resaleCheck out our NaPS website to find out more about the podcast, our research and events. This recording is the property of the Sleep Science Podcast and not for resale.