Sleep Disruptions and Risk in Adolescence: Physiological Underpinnings
Funded by Auburn University (Intramural Grants Program)
El-Sheikh, M. (Co-PI)
4/1/2014 — 3/31/2016
To investigate consequences of short sleep on the developing brain, we examined the neurophysiological consequence of a single night of sleep restriction in 20 young adolescents through ultra-high field (7T) functional neuroimaging. Using a crossover within-subjects design, we demonstrated that brain regions involved in the default mode and limbic regulatory centers are disrupted following sleep restriction (4 hrs) compared to “normal” sleep (8 hrs). In addition, we found atypical functional connectivity patterns in fronto-limbic circuity following sleep restriction. Findings indicate that even a single night of short sleep can have detrimental effects on key brain regions associated with learning, attention, and emotional processes responses, and identify a pathophysiological mechanism underlying the effects of sleep deprivation in adolescents.
Networks in the brain that are different after a night of normal sleep (shown in red) compared to a night of restricted sleep, while blue colors indicate brain networks that are more active following sleep restriction.
Sympathetic, Parasympathetic, and HPA Activity in the Response to Family Stress: Deleterious and Protective Effects on Children’s Health, Sleep, and Adjustment
Funded by Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station/ Lindsey Foundation
Grant # ALA080-001
El-Sheikh, M. (PI)
2003 — 2005
Socialization in the Family and Child Development: Emotionality, Regulation, and Sleep as Pathways and Moderators of Outcomes
Funded by National Science Foundation
Grant # 0339115
El-Sheikh, M. (PI)
8/1/2004 — 7/31/2007
Children’s Sleep and Development: The Role of Family Functioning, Cultural Context, and Body Mass Index
Funded by National Science Foundation
Grant # 0623936
El-Sheikh, M. (PI)
8/1/2006 — 7/31/2008
Developmental Trajectories of Children’s Sleep and Adjustment
Funded by National Science Foundation
Grant # 0843185
El-Sheikh, M. (PI)
4/15/2009 — 3/31/2011
