History of Sleep Research
SLEE5002
Aims: To understand the milestones that shaped our understanding of the nature of sleep; to understand the development of the concepts of sleep stages, chronobiology and the concept that sleep is not a steady state cycle, but changes through the night; to appreciate importance of polysomnography and the all-night sleep study. Content: Development of Sleep Research: The importance of sleep has been recognized throughout history. However, until recent times sleep was thought to be the intermediate state between wakefulness and death. This section elucidates the observations that have lead to the modern concept of an active dynamic condition we call sleep - from the observation of biological cycles, through the discovery of REM sleep, to the all-night sleep study. Introduction to Methods in Sleep Research: Sleep research involves the use of specific equipment and techniques. The early reports of sleep were confined to case histories and, later, short-term samples of biophysical recording were made. However, it was not until the early 1950s that researchers began to undertake all-night recordings and so polysomnography was born. Polysomnography and the meaning of the biophysical measurements made during full sleep studies will be introduced. In addition, the concepts of sleep stages and the normal changes of cardiorespiratory control and EEG will be introduced.
Unit of study details
Unit of study level: Postgraduate
Credit points: 1
Commencing semesters: 1, 2
Further unit of study information
Unit of study handbook: SLEE5002
Costs and scholarships information: Costs and Scholarships
Final dates to withdraw from units of study: Census Dates
Available for study abroad and exchange: No