To identify neurons involved in sleep generation, we have performed whole-brain screening for sleep active and sleep-promoting neurons.  Sleep is controlled by a highly distributed network spanning the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain, and most sleep neurons are part of the central somatic and autonomic motor circuits. The intimate association between sleep and the two motor control networks suggests that a primary function of sleep is to promote biological processes incompatible with movement.

Those who wish to meet the speaker should contact Joshua Taliaferro.  

The Columbia Neuroscience Seminar series is a collaborative effort of Columbia's Zuckerman Institute, the Department of Neuroscience, the Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior and the Columbia Translational Neuroscience Initiative, and with support from the Kavli Institute for Brain Science.