Objectif Humans and animals exhibit brief awakenings from sleep (arousals), which are traditionally viewed as random disruptions of sleep caused by external stimuli or pathologic perturbations. However, our recent findings show that arousals represent previously unrecognized intrinsic aspects of sleep, and exhibit complex temporal organization and scale-invariant behavior characterized by a power-law probability distribution for their durations. In contrast, sleep-stage durations exhibit exponential behavior. The co-existence of these two very different processes in the sleep regulatory mechanism has not been observed in any other physiological system, and resembles a special class of non-equilibrium physical systems exhibiting self-organized criticality (SOC). Such organization of arousals makes it unlikely that they are merely a response to random stimuli, however, the role arousals play in healthy sleep and in sleep disorders remains unknown.Since our preliminary analyses show that SOC-type dynamics persist throughout the sleep period in humans and across several mammalian species with different sleep architecture, we hypothesize that arousals are an integral part of healthy sleep and relate to basic neuronal interactions. To address this hypothesis we will combine human sleep data and bio-molecular/genetic animal experiments with modern approaches from statistical physics of non-equilibrium systems and the theory of complex networks. Our objective is to uncover basic principles of self-organization in sleep that would elucidate the interrelation between sleep-stage dynamics and arousals, and to derive novel and more sensitive diagnostic markers of sleep disorders. Champ scientifique medical and health sciencesclinical medicinepsychiatrysleep disorders Programme(s) FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Thème(s) FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IIF - Marie Curie Action: "International Incoming Fellowships" Appel à propositions FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IIF Voir d’autres projets de cet appel Régime de financement MC-IIF - International Incoming Fellowships (IIF) Coordinateur BAR ILAN UNIVERSITY Contribution de l’UE € 256 148,40 Adresse BAR ILAN UNIVERSITY CAMPUS 52900 Ramat Gan Israël Voir sur la carte Type d’activité Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Contact administratif Estelle Waise (Ms.) Liens Contacter l’organisation Opens in new window Site web Opens in new window Coût total Aucune donnée