Unravelling the sleepy brain: a neuroimaging study in central hypersomnolence disorders

Roughly 4-6% of the general population suffers from excessive daytime sleepiness. Central hypersomnolence disorders are characterized by incurable constant occurrence of this daytime sleepiness in combination with a disturbed sleep-wake cycle, resulting in severely impaired daytime functioning. Central hypersomnolence disorders are normally diagnostically divided in two types of narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia. While narcolepsy type 1 originates from a selective loss of wake-promoting neurons in the brain, the pathophysiology underlying narcolepsy type 2 and idiopathic hypersomnia remains to be fully elucidated. This lack of disease understanding is further emphasized by substantial diagnosis crossover (up to 50%) after repeating diagnostic testing.

The aim of this multicenter project is to identify biomarkers and mechanisms characterizing different central hypersomnolence disorders to reveal transdiagnostic disease dimensions and help to improve classification and potentially treatment options.

The project will simultaneously integrate powerful neuroimaging techniques (MRI and EEG) to investigate structural brain composition and activity across different consciousness states (sleep, resting, sustained attention) in comparison with other central hypersomnolence disorders and healthy controls. This Amsterdam UMC-Concordia University collaborative effort will run for roughly two years and if granted, this award would allow for a 3-month work visit to harmonize data analyses across both sites.

Faculty Supervisor:

Thien Thanh Dang-Vu

Student:

Partner:

VU University Medical Center

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

Concordia University

Program: