Grant & Award Recipients

Mechanisms for Emergence of Rhythmic Behaviors inn Drosophila Melanogaster

Disruptions in circadian rhythms during human development are a common co-morbidity in neurodevelopmental disorders. However, little is known about how circadian sleep patterns first emerge. I hypothesize that the emergence of rhythmic behaviors is intimately tied to metabolic state. I will use Drosophila melanogaster to investigate the link between circadian sleep pattern emergence and metabolic state. This will provide insight into how developing circuits integrate metabolic cues to drive the emergence of rhythmic behavior.

Reliable Assessment of Sleep Disorders Using the Structured Clinical Interview of Sleep Disorders-Revised (SCISD-R)

While self-report screening measures for sleep disorders are abundant in the literature, a reliable, diagnostic tool is necessary for confidence in clinical sleep research as well as accurate and efficient triage and treatment of patients with sleep challenges. The Structured Clinical Interview for Sleep Disorders (SCISD) was psychometrically validated in 2018 based on proposed DSM-5 criteria to meet this need. To maintain its utility, the SCISD-Revised (SCISD-R) was introduced to be consistent with the most up-to-date recommendations. The study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the SCISD-R using interviews collected from an ongoing study.

Association of Respiratory-Related Leg Movements and Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes in Sleep Apnea

Cardiac and sympathetic activation is significantly greater when respiratory events are associated with leg movement (i.e., respiratory-related leg movement, RRLM). This project will address a critical gap in understanding the relationship between RRLMs and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The overall objective of this proposal is to assess the relationship between an index of respiratory related leg movement (RRLMI) and adverse outcomes in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with a focus on cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Mapping an Obstructive Sleep Apnea Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire to a Preference-Based Health Utility Instrument for Health Economic Analyses

New obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) therapies are compared to existing treatments in terms of incremental cost vs. benefit, measured in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). This study aims to develop a method to calculate QALYs using an OSA-specific quality of life questionnaire, via an indirect approach called mapping. We hypothesize that a disease-specific measure of quality of life is more sensitive compared to the current standard in health economic evaluations, which consists of using generic instruments.

The Effect of Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation on Energy Balance and Insulin Resistance in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent condition with major cardiometabolic sequelae. Hypoglossal nerve stimulator (HGNS) is a surgically implanted device for OSA with long-term effectiveness and high therapy adherence. However, literature is lacking on the cardiometabolic outcomes of HGNS. Our randomized, within-subject crossover trial will examine the effects of HGNS on energy balance and insulin resistance. The results bear important implications for a patient population vulnerable to high cardiometabolic risk.

Associations Between Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Sleep Duration and Regularity in World Trade Center Exposed Responders

Forty-three point five percent of World Trade Center responders demonstrate symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Responders with CRS symptoms report shorter sleep duration based on subjective measures impacted by reporting bias. To obtain objective measures, we use 2 weeks of actigraphy to determine sleep duration, its night-to-night variability, and sleep-wake timing regularity. We expect that WTC responders with CRS symptoms will have shorter and more variable sleep duration and decreased sleep-wake timing regularity.

The World Sleep Academy provides training in sleep medicine to healthcare workers, particularly in communities underserved by sleep medicine specialists across the planet. The World Sleep Academy is an initiative of the World Sleep Society which is a non-profit organization.

Dr. Gawon Cho is a Postdoctoral Associate at the Yale School of Medicine. Her specialty lies in epidemiologic methods, sleep assessment, and dementia research. She is currently developing expertise in neuroimaging in order to examine the association between glymphatic activity, sleep quality, and image-based markers of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis for the first time among humans.

Dr. Sebastian Jara is a sleep fellowship-trained otolaryngologist at Keck Medicine of USC, who specializes in treating snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. His current research focus is to understand the causes of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea and to develop cutting-edge surgical and non-surgical treatments for these conditions as an alternative to CPAP machines.

Dr. Joshua Gills is an exercise physiologist who focuses on Alzheimer’s disease risk reduction and behavioral modifications (sleep, exercise) to improve quality of life and brain health. He is originally from Chicago, Illinois, where he grew up playing multiple sports and loving the outdoors. His interests include working out, outdoor adventures, re-learning the piano, and learning new languages.

Alexander believes that access to an adequate sleep environment is something that should be available to everyone, regardless of income or circumstance. Promoting sleep equity in healthcare is paramount – He has spent much of his academic career describing how impaired sleep bleeds into other medical conditions. Firstly, he plans on building a therapeutic alliance and developing holistic, individualized sleep plans with his own patients that consider factors such as income and environment. Even an intervention as minor as sleep masks could be helpful. Further, Alexander plans to use his platform as a physician to advocate for sleep equity in prisons and beyond as well as to engage the public and other healthcare professionals through books, poetry, and informational packets so that they can take ownership of their sleep, lives, and overall well-being.

As Peter embarks on this journey toward sleep medicine through neurology or psychiatry, his primary career goal is to contribute significantly to the understanding and treatment of neurological and mental health disorders while specializing in sleep-related conditions. He reports being captivated by sleep and its cycles. He hopes to shed some light on mechanisms of REM sleep and how REM sleep affects memory in cases of depression, alcoholism and more. Sleep medicine provides a unique avenue to explore the vital role that sleep plays in maintaining both neurological, mental health and overall wellbeing.

Sleep RESCU: A Community/University Partnership for the Improvement of Adolescents’ Sleep Health

The goals of this research include how to better support the prioritization of healthy sleep by teachers, parents, and adolescents. This study will help develop innovative preventative non-pharmacological intervention methods to improve youth sleep health.

Building a Sleep Ambassador Training Program for Community Health Workers in Texas

The goals of the project are as follows: to enhance community health workers’ (CHWs) knowledge and experience in sleep health and sleep medicine; to increase awareness about sleep health, sleep hygiene practices, and available options for addressing sleep disorders among the populations served by CHWs; and to gain valuable insights for improving and expanding the training program in the future.

Sensory Dysfunction in a Diet-Induced Deficiency Mouse Model of RLS: Characterization and Control by Dopamine-Sensitive Spinal Gating Circuitry

This study aims to use electrophysiological and genetic approaches in mice to study whether an iron-deficient diet leads to; (1) increased excitability in select ‘pain-like’ peripheral sensory signals arising in calf muscles, (2) whose activation of central circuits is abnormally amplified due to deficient capacity for dopamine-sensitive inhibitory gating signals in the spinal cord. As an individual with RLS, I fully appreciate the suffering associated with abnormal limb sensations and the immediate relief provided by leg movements.