Neuromodulation of Sleep States

Luis de Lecea, PhD
Professor • Director, Major Laboratories and Clinical Translational Neuroscience Incubator • Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences • Stanford University School of Medicine

The lecture will go over most recent research on the neuronal circuitry underlying sleep/wake transitions and the implementation of focused ultrasound as a tool for non invasive neuronal circuit intervention in deep brain structures.

About the speaker:
Prof. de Lecea obtained his PhD from the University of Barcelona and conducted postdoctoral studies at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. Prof. de Lecea’s research is based on his discovery of several neurotransmitters including hypocretin and cortistatin. Prof. de Lecea has authored 300+ publications on prestigious journals including Nature, Science, etc. His work has been influential in the sleep research field with over 34,000 citations, and led to the development of multiple drugs for the treatment of sleep disorders. His laboratory also pioneered the implementation of optogenetic methods in vivo to manipulate neuronal activity in genetically defined neuronal circuits and alter behaviors.

Prof. de Lecea has received numerous awards, including Brain Research Foundation Distinguished Scientist Award, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Innovation Award, and the Sleep Research Society Outstanding Research Achievement award, Senior Fulbright Fellow. He serves on the editorial board of several journals and on multiple national and international committees including National Institute of Drug Abuse Board of Scientific Counselors.

Learning objectives:
Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Identify major brain nuclei associated with sleep/wake transitions
• Describe a mechanism of neuronal hyperexcitability associated with aging and neurodegeneration
• Describe a mechanism of action of focused ultrasound for neuromodulation

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In addition to the Pritzker Building, DPBS members can also watch this event live at Mount Zion (Room B7-30) and ZSFG (Bldg. 5, Room 7M30), as well as on Zoom (psychiatry.ucsf.edu/watchgrandrounds).

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Grand Rounds presentations are for educational purposes and intended only for behavioral/mental health professionals and clinical providers.

Continuing education (CE) credit is available for physicians, psychologists, nurses, and therapists who participate in this activity.