Workshop on Sleep Regulation and Circadian Rhythms

Professor Luis de Lecea, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Major Laboratories and Clinical and Translational Neurosciences Incubator), an SCPKU Faculty Fellow, organized a workshop on Sleep Regulation and Circadian Rhythms from Sept. 13-14 at SCPKU.

As many as 1/3 of adults experience serious sleep problems in their lifetime, yet the tools to treat sleep disorders have not increased significantly in the last 30 years. The last decade has seen unprecedented progress in basic science of sleep and China has generated an impressive number of publications at the forefront of this research area.  Prof. de Lecea and Dr. Wenjie Bian from Stanford convened a group of 13 researchers covering both basic and clinical aspects of sleep and circadian regulation.  Prof. Takeshi Sakurai from Tsukuba University and International Institute of Integrative Sleep Medicine delivered a keynote lecture on the neuronal circuitry of narcolepsy/cataplexy.  Dr. Zhian Hu from Chongqing Medical University showed evidence of a neuronal circuit controlling sleep and memory.  Dr. Zhili Huang from Fudan University showed recent data on the regulation of reward circuits by sleep. Dr. Xiao Bing Gao from Yale University provided evidence of the association between neuronal structures that regulate energy balance and sleep.  Dr. Wenjie Bian from Stanford presented his latest results on how sleep disruption during development affects social behavior in adults.  Dr. Qinhua Liu from NIBS in Beijing discussed his recent findings demonstrating a link between protein phosphorylation and sleep homeostasis.  Drs. Yun Kwok Wing from Hong Kong and Fang Han from the Peoples Hospital in Beijing and President of the Chinese Sleep Research Society presented clinical data on sleep disorders and narcolepsy.  The workshop was attended by ~20 students from PKU and other local institutions.  Participants concluded that this workshop was an innovative venue to discuss state of the art research and possible collaborations among researchers in the field of sleep neuroscience and medicine.