The sequence of vigilance states is tightly regulated, and sleep continuity is likely an essential feature of its function. Recent discoveries on local discontinuities in vigilance states in rodents and humans raise new challenges to define sleep/wake stability. Here I will discuss new data from our laboratory demonstrating cortex-wide complex dynamics across sleep/wake cycles using genetically encoded voltage sensors. I will also describe a new neuronal circuit that predicts the onset and duration of REM sleep, raising new hypothesis about the nature of the REM homeostat. Finally, I will describe attempts to non-invasively modulate arousal circuits and optimize sleep quality.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY

Luis de Lecea obtained his PhD from the University of Barcelona in 1991 and conducted postdoctoral training at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA. He identified several neuropeptides with key functions in cortical excitability and sleep regulation and brain reward function. In 2006 he moved to Stanford, where he has pioneered the use of optogenetics in vivo and neuromodulation of sleep-wake cycles.
Dr. de Lecea’s work accumulates more than 180 manuscripts that have been cited over 34,000 times. He has received numerous awards including ACNP Integrative neuroscience award, NARSAD Distinguished Investigator and Sleep Research Society Outstanding Achievement Award, Senior Fulbright Scholarship, among others. Dr. de Lecea has lectured around the world and served on numerous national and international committees including the Board of Scientific Counselors for NIDA, the Klarman Family Foundation and the BrainMind Foundation.