Sleep & Circadian

Patients with stroke frequently complain of difficulty with sleep. To make things worse, hospitalized stroke patients are exposed to a wide variety of stresses such as frequent awakenings for medical treatments and testing. How does sleep dysfunction occur and what are the consequences? In experiments with Jimo Borjigin's lab, we have demonstrated that stroke causes impairment of circadian rhythms and of REM sleep in rats. Circadian dysruption likely affect sleep. In addition, changes within the brain after stroke could change sleep physiology by new mechanisms. We will be using this model to probe the specific mechanisms and consequences of stroke induced sleep dysfunction.