What is sleep exactly? Redefining the boundary between wake and sleep

titleWhat is sleep exactly? Redefining the boundary between wake and sleep
start_date2026/06/08
schedule11h
onlineno
location_infoAmphitheater NeuroSpin & Online
summaryThe traditional view treats wakefulness and sleep as mutually exclusive, but “hybrid states”, - where wake‑like and sleep‑like features coexist-, are often observed in pathology (e.g., sleepwalking, REM sleep behavior disorder, narcolepsy) and physiology (e.g. lucid dreaming, sleep onset period). These gray zones raise fundamental questions: where does wake end and sleep begin, and how should we define sleep itself? In this talk, Delphine  Oudiette will present her multidimensional investigation of these hybrid states and their impact on cognition. Her strategy integrates physiological measures (EEG, EMG, EOG) with behavioral metrics (spontaneous actions and stimulus‑evoked responses), phenomenological reports (mental content), and cognitive tasks (attention, memory, creativity). Her findings challenge the binary sleep-wake dichotomy, with direct implications for basic neuroscience and the diagnosis and treatment of sleep‑related disorders.
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