The Sleeping Brain

The average person will sleep approximately a third of his or her lifetime. What is the brain doing during this altered state of consciousness? In this course we will broadly explore the neuroscience of sleep, including anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, human disease, behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, sleep deprivation, and dreaming. Sleep and cognition, and particularly the effects of sleep on memory, will be emphasized. Students will become skilled at critically reading peer-reviewed journal articles, and will participate in hands-on labs and demonstrations (i.e., collecting sleep data and polysomnography training). This course counts as a Psychology elective.