The main objectives of this module are:

 

In this course, students will gain a profound understanding of the neurobiology and function of sleep and develop the skills necessary to apply this knowledge in research and clinical settings. After completion of the course, students are able to 1) define metabolic, immunological, hormonal and cognitive functions of sleep; 2) distinguish different physiological sleep processes and their effects on brain function; 3) explain sleep regulation and the role of sleep in different diseases; 4) apply sleep research methodology including sleep EEG recordings; 5) design and perform sleep research experiments; 6) evaluate, interpret and discuss experimental data on the background of previous research.

The module 

Humans spend a third of their lives asleep, a state of potentially dangerous inattentiveness and seeming inactivity. In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that sleep plays an essential role for mental and physical health: many physiological, immunological, metabolic, hormonal and cognitive brain functions are processed during sleep and essentially contribute to the brain’s and body’s function during wakefulness. Disturbed sleep, in turn, is both a symptom and cause of many psychiatric, neurological and somatic diseases. This module aims to give a basic introduction into and general overview on the neuroscience of sleep and sleep medicine. Covered topics include sleep research methodology; sleep neurobiology and regulation; metabolic, immunological and endocrine processes during sleep; sleep deprivation and sleep disorders; the role of sleep in psychiatric and neurological disorders, in particular stress-related disorders and Alzheimer’s Disease. A particular emphasis will also be put on the cognitive neuroscience of sleep, including the role of sleep for memory processes and neuroplasticity, and cognitive activity during sleep, i.e. dreaming. Besides introductory lectures by different  experts in  human  and  animal  sleep  research, the course will include group work targeting both classic and recent sleep studies; a practical in a sleep laboratory; and the development of a sleep research project.