The Department of Neurology has a long history of commitment and participation in the Emory Program in Sleep. Faculty members with a primary appointment in the Department of Neurology that have clinical and research interests in sleep medicine include: Drs. Donald Bliwise, Lynn Marie Trotti, David Rye, Amanda Freeman, and Charles Epstein. These investigators have contributed much to our understanding of the interactions of the nervous system with sleep and vigilance in normal and pathological states. There is a particular interest in how these relationships are affected by aging, neurodegeneration, and ultimately the unique window that sleep provides on brain function and health. Seminal discoveries spearheaded by these faculty and their diverse set of Emory, national and international collaborators include initial descriptions of pathological sleepiness in Parkinson's disease, elucidation of previously underappreciated influences of the neurotransmitter dopamine upon vigilance states, identification of the first genetic contributions to Restless Legs Syndrome, and description of a novel endogenous inhibitory mechanism contributing to disorders of excessive, non-refreshing sleep and daytime sleepiness.
Learn more about the Emory Sleep Center.