Advances in Sleep and Circadian Science

Sleep Research Society, Darien IL

Investigators

Abstract

The Sleep Research Society (SRS) is dedicated to promoting and advancing the scientific understanding of sleep and circadian rhythms across the translational spectrum, from their molecular regulation across species, to their cross-generational transmission through genetic, epigenetic, cultural, and social forces, to their acute and longer-term impact on health and functioning. Inexorably linked, sleep and circadian rhythms entrain and sustain physiological and behavioral processes critical to survival, such as cellular aging and repair, feeding and metabolism, learning and memory, and affiliation and emotion regulation. In 2017, circadian biologists Michael W. Young, Michael Rosbash, and Jeffrey C. Hall were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries that propelled our understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling circadian rhythms. Advances in the molecular underpinnings of circadian rhythms have, in turn, informed our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of sleep. Because the fields of sleep and circadian science have evolved somewhat independently, their reach and scope would benefit from opportunities to exchange ideas and methods. The SRS seeks to organize a unique sleep and circadian science meeting to promote discuss cutting-edge science, identify gaps in our knowledge, and catalyze new collaborations in transdisciplinary research. The single-track Advances in Sleep and Circadian Science meeting will include research that bridges, or has great potential to bridge, basic and translational sleep and circadian science. Scientific sessions are focused on the control and outputs of sleep and circadian rhythms across the lifespan. Topics include molecular regulation, neural and peripheral circuits, metabolism, development, aging and neurodegeneration of homeostatic sleep and circadian rhythms, as well as their regulation of cognition, motivation, and affect. Critical components of this meeting are specialized programming and mentoring opportunities for trainees and early stage investigators (ESIs), who represent the future of this important transdisciplinary field. As detailed in our Specific Aims and Conference Plan, the overall goal of this SRS R13 is to provide travel support for trainees and ESIs to attend and actively take part in this pioneering meeting. Sleep and Circadian Science Scholar Awards will provide travel support to competitively-selected trainees who submit an abstract to present a poster and are judged to show outstanding potential for a productive career in transdisciplinary sleep and circadian science. Sleep and Circadian Science Opportunity Awards will extend travel support to trainees from groups underrepresented in science who, although early in the training pipeline, express an interest in sleep and circadian science. Sleep and Circadian Science Integration Awards will help defray conference costs for promising ESIs whose work considers sleep and circadian rhythms.