Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Laura's image that made the front cover: cortical slow waves in sleeping young and older mice

Congratulations to Laura McKillop, a DPhil student within the Vyazovskiy Group, whose first author publication has made it to the front cover article of the 16th issue of the Journal of Neuroscience! 

According to the study of young and old mice carried out by Laura and her colleagues, the brain maintains its ability to generate local neural oscillations during sleep throughout the lifespan. The research indicates that age-related disruptions in sleep and associated large-scale brain activity, are not due to changes in the activity of individual neurons.

The paper recorded neural activity from deep layers of the motor cortex of groups of mice at different stages of life: early adulthood (5 months), late adulthood (12 months) and old age (24 months). The old age mice in this study are estimated to correspond to an age of roughly 70-years in humans.

The researchers did not find any major differences in the cortical neural activity during sleep across the three age groups. All mice also showed similar effects of sleep deprivation on local sleep oscillations in the neocortex. These findings contrast with previous studies both in mice and humans showing that ageing is associated with a reduced capacity to generate deep sleep, and highlight the need to consider activity at the level of individual neurons, in addition to the whole-brain view, in order to fully understand the effects of ageing on sleep.

Find out more about the research that goes on in the Vyazovskiy Group here.

Similar stories

Can humans hibernate?

Illuminating new TEDx Talk from Professor of Sleep Physiology Vladyslav Vyazovskiy

Professor Dame Frances Ashcroft to receive Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science

The Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science recognises women scientists with a stellar record of research accomplishments who also have made significant contributions to mentoring other women in science.

Annie Park to advance our understanding of how the brain encodes reward with new Wellcome Trust Award

Congratulations are in order for Postdoctoral Fellow Dr Annie Park who has been awarded a prestigious Wellcome Early-Career Award.

New insights into chemogenetic designer drugs to enhance our study of behaviour

A collaborative team of researchers in DPAG and Pharmacology led by Dr Lukas Krone have uncovered striking new data demonstrating that two widely used designer drugs used to turn populations of neurons on and off in the brain cause unexpected effects on sleep. These results demonstrate a critical need to improve chemogenetic approaches in behavioural studies.

Unlocking the Secrets of cAMP Signalling in the Heart: A Pathway to Targeted Therapeutics

A new Zaccolo group study has revealed key new insights into the role of cAMP signalling in both healthy and disease settings within the heart. They have identified new cAMP nanodomains in cardiac muscle cells that have far reaching implications for the treatment of heart disease.