Dorms used in pioneering sleep studies recognized with commemorative plaque

Stanford University holds a special place in the sleep medicine community. Literally. A Stanford dorm named Jerry House was the location for ten years worth of summer sleep camps. It was at these camps that clinical protocols were written. Protocols still used today.

Stanford’s Jerry House was recently honored with a plaque commemorating these summer sleep camps. The dorm remains in use by students. On Jan. 28, a number of sleep pioneers, original volunteers and guests converged for the celebration. William Dement, MD, PhD, (pictured below next to the plaque) was in attendance. Dr. Dement is sometimes referred to as The Father of Sleep Medicine. He established the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Center in 1970.

Also on hand was Mary Carskadon, PhD. From 1976 to 1985, Dr. Carskadon focused the Jerry House sleep camps on daytime sleep function. Volunteers from the local community had their sleep and wake times manipulated. This was something groundbreaking. Up until that time, sleep studies were conducted at night. The result was important data on sleep restriction and sleep deprivation.

All of this is explained in the new plaque. “May All Who Live in This House Have Refreshing Sleep and Pleasant Dreams,” the commemorative plaque states. How did Jerry House get its name? Originally, the dorm was called Lambda Nu. The resident chef, Sandy, has been cooking there for 30-plus years. And her favorite musician is Jerry Garcia.

Interrupted Sleep Could Impair Forming Memories

Uninterrupted sleep is the key to getting the right amount of rest. It not only helps physically, but mentally. In a new study, researchers at Stanford University discovered that sleep interruptions impair the brain’s ability to form memories.

Scientists assumed that memory would become hindered because of a lack of sleep continuity. Memory problems can be seen in people who suffer from alcoholism or sleep apnea. Both of these problems can cause sleep discontinuity.

The problem researchers faced was finding a way to break sleep into shorter segments without affecting the intensity or duration of sleep. The solution: optogenetics. This is a new technique that can genetically engineer specific cells to be able to be controlled by visible light pulses. Researchers performed this method on the neurons of the brain that help it switch between sleep and wakeful states.

Using mice as test subjects, researchers found that by hitting the rodents’ brain cells with 10-second bursts of light; they could break up their sleep without affecting the intensity or duration of the sleep.

After the test was completed, the mice were then given two objects. One was familiar while the other object was new to the mice. After interrupted sleep, the mice took just as long to investigate the familiar object as the new one. The mice spent more time with the new object when their sleep was not interrupted.

After testing different variations of sleep interruption, the researchers concluded that if the mice were allowed 62-73% of the normal sleep duration, it would not affect memory. Study co-author H. Craig Heller, professor of biology at Stanford University, believes that the findings show that sleep continuity is critical for memory.

It remains unclear how much uninterrupted sleep is needed to prevent memory impairment in humans. The researchers did say however that the memory problems experienced by people with sleep disorders are most likely due to disruption of continuity in their sleep.

Photo by: Tim Snell