How early-life sleep problems may change the brain and social bonding
Effects of early life sleep disruption on prefrontal cortex electrophysiological state and affiliation/attachment
This research looks at whether sleep problems early in life can change brain circuits that affect social bonding for people with autism.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11088853 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
I want to know if sleep problems when we're very young can alter the brain areas that help form close social bonds. Scientists will use prairie voles — a rodent that naturally forms strong social bonds — to mimic early-life sleep disruption and then record electrical activity and cellular changes in the medial prefrontal cortex and its connection to the nucleus accumbens. They will measure changes in social affiliation behavior in the animals and examine how circuit and cellular changes relate to those behaviors. The team aims to link these animal findings to the social difficulties seen in autism to guide future prevention or treatment ideas.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with autism and families concerned about early-life sleep and social development would be most interested in following this research or supporting related human studies.
Not a fit: Those seeking immediate clinical treatments or people without autism are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this primarily animal-focused project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to sleep-based early interventions that help protect social bonding in people at risk for autism.
How similar studies have performed: Prior animal work, including the investigators' own prairie vole studies, has linked early sleep disruption to later social deficits and prefrontal changes, but translation to humans remains unproven.
Where this research is happening
Ann Arbor, United States
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor — Ann Arbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Watson, Brendon O — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Watson, Brendon O
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.