Episode notes
To sleep, perchance to….rejuvenate, heal, affect mental, emotional, behavioral, and physical wellbeing…and yes, dream? Unlocking the mystery of why we sleep and what we suffer when we do not is the mission of Dr. Luis de Lecea and his lab in the Stanford University Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. In this segment of What Makes Up Your Mind, you’ll hear about Dr. de Lecea’s discovery of a pair of neuropeptides in the hypothalamus which influence on sleep, wakefulness, stress, and reward. Called The Hypocretins, their discovery opened a new path of research into how these messengers signal sleep-related activities to the brain.
Dr. de Lecea and his team are following this path with vigor, aiming to uncover not only the connection between quality of sleep and wellness, but how manipulation of these specific neuropeptides might result in th ...