Why parts of the brain sometimes 'go offline' and cause mental tiredness
Official title: Local sleep and mental fatigue
Funded at University of Wisconsin-Madison · NIH-11238078 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at how brief 'switch-offs' in small brain regions can make people feel mentally exhausted after poor sleep or intense learning.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Wisconsin-Madison NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2024 |
| Project end | November 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $569,087 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS131389-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11238078 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who frequently experience mental fatigue—such as after poor sleep, intense learning, or as part of neurological or psychiatric conditions—would be the most relevant candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose tiredness is driven primarily by non-neurological causes (for example, untreated medical conditions like anemia or medication side effects) may not directly benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This project studies why parts of the brain can briefly stop firing while a person is otherwise awake, which may underlie the feeling of mental fatigue. Researchers will record brain activity in animals and in people following sleep loss or intense learning to find these local 'OFF periods.' They will examine the role of specific brain cells (Martinotti cells) that may trigger these events using targeted experiments and recordings. The team aims to connect these neural events with the day-to-day experience of feeling mentally drained and with sleep quality.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could explain the brain basis of mental fatigue and point toward new ways to prevent or reduce it by improving sleep or targeting specific brain circuits.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier work has demonstrated 'local sleep' in animals and humans after sleep loss, but applying detailed circuit-level findings to explain mental fatigue is a newer and still-emerging approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cirelli, Chiara — University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Study coordinator: Cirelli, Chiara
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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.