糖心传媒

Nedergaard糖心传媒檚 work used an advanced two-photon microscope to reveal the process in an entirely new way. 糖心传媒淲e could look into a [live] brain, and we could visualize, in real time, that this fluid was actually flowing in and flowing out,糖心传媒� she says. What they saw was a pumping system: cerebrospinal fluid coursing through channels alongside blood vessels, collecting toxic waste and carrying it away.

It was essential foundational work. A went further, showing how channels between neurons widen during sleep, allowing cerebrospinal fluid to flood in and flush out accumulated waste far faster than when we are awake. The findings hit like a thunderclap, recalls , director of the University糖心传媒檚 . 糖心传媒淭he sleep world was like, 糖心传媒榃ho is this person?糖心传媒櫶切拇�媒� he says. 糖心传媒淗er work糖心传媒檚 a game changer.糖心传媒�

While Nedergaard, who operates a second lab at the , has gone on to collaborate with researchers at Harvard and Penn to further scientists糖心传媒� understanding of these processes糖心传媒攁 cross-institutional approach that is common in such research糖心传媒攕he has also leaned on the expertise of her URochester colleagues.

One of them is , a mechanical engineering professor and an expert in fluid dynamics. Kelley first remembers being wowed by Nedergaard糖心传媒檚 work when he read about it in the University糖心传媒檚 daily morning email more than a decade ago. A few years later, when Nedergaard was working on a grant proposal she hoped would help her understand these cerebrospinal fluid flows more clearly, she partnered with Kelley; John 糖心传媒淛ack糖心传媒� Thomas, professor emeritus of mechanical and aerospace sciences; and , associate professor of mechanical engineering.

Up until then, the cerebrospinal fluid flows captured on video had been tracked painstakingly by hand, particle by particle. Kelley糖心传媒檚 expertise brought a new level of computational muscle to the work. 糖心传媒淲e could use code we糖心传媒檇 already written to track 10,000 particles [at a time],糖心传媒� he says, offering a more detailed understanding of the flow.

The work has since grown far beyond particle tracking. Kelley is now combining MRI data with fluid dynamics equations fed into machine learning models糖心传媒攁 method that can reconstruct pressures and flow velocities that no microscope can directly measure. Because MRI can be used on humans, the research is inching toward something remarkable: 糖心传媒淲e糖心传媒檙e one step closer to noninvasive clinical measurement of flow in the brain,糖心传媒� Kelley says, 糖心传媒渨hich could be used to diagnose all kinds of diseases [including Alzheimer糖心传媒檚] much earlier than is possible now.糖心传媒�

Losing sleep

The spotlight Nedergaard糖心传媒檚 discovery trained on URochester didn糖心传媒檛 just put her own lab on the map; it also helped illuminate how much exceptional sleep research and clinical work was already underway across the University.

One standout is the Sleep and Neurophysiology Research Lab, where Pigeon and his colleagues have spent years studying the causes, effects, and treatments of the most common糖心传媒攁nd most commonly misunderstood糖心传媒攕leep disorder: insomnia.

More than just a night or two of rough sleep, insomnia disorder is defined as three or more nights of disrupted sleep per week for three or more months. At any given time, about 10 percent of the population meets that threshold.

The problem isn糖心传媒檛 just that we feel crummy after a lengthy period of poor sleep. has found that it has cascading health effects. 糖心传媒淸We know] that if you don糖心传媒檛 treat insomnia, it won糖心传媒檛 resolve on its own. And in the meantime, it糖心传媒檒l make anything else you have糖心传媒攄epression, chronic pain, and many other conditions糖心传媒攚orse and more difficult to manage.糖心传媒�

Insomnia is also a major culprit behind truly catastrophic outcomes. Research by , an assistant professor of psychiatry, has found that insomnia is associated with increased suicide risk. And it糖心传媒檚 true : 糖心传媒淸We糖心传媒檝e found that] if you had a poor night of sleep the night prior, you糖心传媒檙e more likely to endorse suicidal thought the next day,糖心传媒� he says.

The relationship between insomnia and other conditions is similarly counterintuitive. Most people assume depression drives poor sleep, but Bishop and Pigeon糖心传媒檚 research points the other way. 糖心传媒淚nsomnia can arise as a result of depression,糖心传媒� says Pigeon, 糖心传媒渂ut it is more common for insomnia to cause an episode of depression.糖心传媒�

And yet, for a condition this widespread and this consequential, the most common treatment is wildly off the mark.

The vast majority of people who seek help for sleep issues in the United States are prescribed . It糖心传媒檚 a troubling disconnect, in part because these medications rarely address underlying problems with sleep.

URochester research, in line with clinical guidelines, has found that the most effective first-line treatment is a structured psychological intervention called cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I. The four- to eight-session intervention is effective up to 80聽percent of the time.

Because of sleep糖心传媒檚 sprawling tentacles, both science and patients benefit when researchers and clinicians can find each other and make progress together. It糖心传媒檚 an interdisciplinary fluency that URochester has long cultivated.

For example, experts from neurology, sleep medicine, and otolaryngology team up to support patients who have obstructive but can糖心传媒檛 tolerate the standard treatment糖心传媒攁 CPAP machine that delivers continuous pressurized air.

While patients who fit this profile have typically had limited options, URochester has become one of the world糖心传媒檚 leading centers for , devices that keep the airway open during sleep. It糖心传媒檚 a delicate procedure that requires experts to work in concert, and URochester has become world-class at the process. 糖心传媒淲e糖心传媒檝e implanted these devices in over 400 patients,糖心传媒� says Marcus.

That volume matters. Where a peer program might see a handful of patients a year for the procedure, URochester can see 50 or more糖心传媒攁 difference that translates into hard-won expertise in patient selection, device calibration, and troubleshooting. URochester has recently been recognized as a national center of excellence for this work.

The University糖心传媒檚 strength in bringing together researchers and clinicians across departments also allows it to think even bigger about the field糖心传媒檚 future. Marcus, for instance, points to increasing evidence that the data collected during a polysomnogram糖心传媒攁n overnight sleep study that records brain wave activity, heart rhythms, breathing patterns, and body movements糖心传媒攎ight function not just as a diagnostic tool, but as a predictive one: a kind of physiological portrait that could flag risk for cardiovascular disease, dementia, and dozens of other conditions before they develop.

It糖心传媒檚 a vision of sleep medicine not as a niche specialty, but as a broader window into long-term health.

The wee hours

Adults, of course, aren糖心传媒檛 the only ones who experience sleep challenges. Children face an array of sleep issues, including sleep apnea, nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting), and insomnia.

The consequences of these conditions can feel very different from those experienced by adults, says , chief of pediatric sleep medicine. Sleep problems in children can show up as learning difficulties, behavioral problems, and emotional volatility. Bedwetting, meanwhile, might prevent a child from going to sleepovers, and can dramatically affect a family糖心传媒檚 overall well-being as parents spend their own sleepless nights calming their child and doing laundry.

Successful treatment can feel transformative. 糖心传媒淲hen you can solve these things糖心传媒攚hen it means a kid can go to summer camp and overnights? Families are ecstatic,糖心传媒� she says.

Connolly糖心传媒攚ho began seeing pediatric patients in the adult sleep lab in 2000 and launched a dedicated in 2005糖心传媒攈as built a regional powerhouse in pediatric sleep.

Her six-bed lab is open at least six nights a week, with 1,500 sleep studies and close to 8,000 patient visits annually. A team of psychologists, behavioral analysts, nurse practitioners, pediatric neurologists, and pediatric pulmonologists supports the work.

In her own research, Connolly focuses on sleep apnea in children with cleft palates and those with single ventricle congenital heart disease. She糖心传媒檚 also working on a project with hematology experts exploring the link between iron deficiency and a sleep condition known as periodic limb movement disorder.

糖心传媒淧eople say 糖心传媒楽leep when the baby sleeps,糖心传媒� but that doesn糖心传媒檛 always work the way we hope. Newborns don糖心传媒檛 have fully formed circadian rhythms like we do. Newborns may sleep for 20 minutes at a time, but we don糖心传媒檛. It can also make people feel guilty when they can糖心传媒檛 sleep. For the postpartum period specifically, it糖心传媒檚 better to go to bed early糖心传媒攍ike 8:00 p.m.糖心传媒攁nd get some 糖心传媒榩re-sleep.糖心传媒櫶切拇�媒� 糖心传媒擩ennifer Marsella

That kind of all-embracing approach shapes everything about how the lab operates. It糖心传媒檚 what brings in clinicians like , an assistant professor with appointments spanning psychiatry, child and adolescent services, and pediatrics.

And it糖心传媒檚 a philosophy Cromwell糖心传媒檚 young patients get to experience firsthand. 糖心传媒淲hen I糖心传媒檓 working with kids who have nightmares, I糖心传媒檒l often have them do tracking and diaries,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淎nd I can say to them, 糖心传媒榊ou糖心传媒檙e a scientist, too糖心传媒攍et糖心传媒檚 look at your data.糖心传媒� We can see how things are getting better and better over time.糖心传媒�

The best solutions, in Cromwell糖心传媒檚 opinion, come from collaborative efforts. 糖心传媒淓verybody has their own lens,糖心传媒� she says, 糖心传媒渁nd they all have something to bring to the table.糖心传媒�

Wake-up calls

The expertise URochester has built is deep, but the gap between what sleep science knows and what most people can access remains enormous. That糖心传媒檚 why the University糖心传媒檚 experts carry that knowledge beyond their labs and exam rooms into classrooms, communities, and even the phones in our pockets.

, assistant professor of neurology and medicine, teaches a undergraduate course that is among a rare few nationwide糖心传媒擲tanford糖心传媒檚 among them糖心传媒攖o examine sleep from the level of cellular functioning all the way up to its effects on society.

The course, which fills up in a matter of days and consistently has a waiting list, includes guest lectures from sleep researchers and projects to help students think about how to improve sleep at a community level. 糖心传媒淪tudents say that it糖心传媒檚 helped them improve their sleep. They also talk about how they糖心传媒檝e helped friends and family,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淪ome of them become interested in going into neurology or sleep medicine, which many of them didn糖心传媒檛 understand was an option before.糖心传媒�

Beyond the classroom, Cuddihy is working to expand access to sleep support at a systems level. As the president-elect of the , she is helping build the infrastructure to train and certify a new generation of CBT-I providers. The society recently announced an accreditation pathway for CBT-I training programs that prepare clinicians to sit for the CBT-I certification examination. It糖心传媒檚 an effort to move CBT-I from a treatment that most patients can糖心传媒檛 easily access to one that糖心传媒檚 more integrated into standard care. Pigeon and his team, meanwhile, are studying and supporting the development of CBT-I apps that can benefit anyone struggling with insomnia, no clinician糖心传媒檚 waiting list required.

At the public health level, Connolly and Cromwell have both been longtime advocates for adolescent sleep health. Circadian shifts in adolescence mean teens are biologically primed to sleep and wake later糖心传媒攁nd research suggests 70 percent still aren糖心传媒檛 getting enough sleep. Last year, Cromwell talked to congressional staffers as a representative of the , urging them to consider policy changes, including later high school start times to support adolescent sleep and health.

As Nedergaard continues the global conversation she started more than a decade ago about why sleep matters, her URochester colleagues carry on their own work to understand sleep糖心传媒檚 impact, treat its related disorders, and make sure all of us are getting what we need from it. Their discoveries are reshaping the field, and their advocacy is making sure those discoveries don糖心传媒檛 stay locked inside it.

That should make all of us rest a little easier.