Sleep, the Achilles' Heel of brain development?

old_uid7448
titleSleep, the Achilles' Heel of brain development?
start_date2009/10/14
schedule10h
onlineno
summaryAmong the chief causes of mental retardation (or, with a more p.c. term: developmental disability) are genetic conditions, prenatal or perintal injuries, diseases, poverty and cultural deprivation. Research has been mainly focused on attacking each of these factors separately, characterizing how they might determine different types of maladaptive behaviors. In this talk, I will investigate the possibility that the disturbance of the macro- and/or the micropattern of sleep is a more general factor. I suggest that sleep, the Achilles' Heel of brain development, might shape the individual's ability to improve basic perceptual and motor skills in order to compensate for the above mentioned handicaps. This issue will be scrutinized through the presentation of our research efforts to understand perception as an experience dependent process, and illustrated with examples from a number of clinical studies.
responsiblesMaloumian