Within ForeFront, the Centre of Research Excellence to optimise sleep in Brain Ageing and Neurodegeneration (CogSleep) team brings together sleep researchers, sleep clinicians, neurobiologists, neuroscientists, neurologists and neuropsychologists to understand the role sleep and sleep disorders in the development of neurodegenerative disorders. Sleep is an essential component of healthy brain ageing. Sleep and circadian disturbances are key characteristics in established neurodegenerative diseases including dementia and Parkinson’s disease. There is now growing evidence that sleep disturbance may accelerate neurodegeneration and cognitive decline and increases the risk of developing dementia. Using new technologies including remote monitoring of sleep including wearables and bedables; HDEEG, we are assessing the effect of various treatments for sleep disturbance and disorders, such as sleep apnea treatments, digital insomnia therapies and melatonin and their effect on cognition and markers of neurodegeneration.
Meet our Research Group
Professor Sharon Naismith
NHMRC Dementia Leadership Fellow, USyd
- Clinical Neuropsychologist
- Cognitive Neuroscientist
- Neuroimaging Analyst
Professor Ron Grunstein
Senior Principal Research Fellow, Professor of Sleep Medicine, USyd
- Sleep Disorder
- Sleep Apnea
- Chronobiology
Professor Simon Lewis
Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, USyd
- Neuroimaging
- Neurophysiology
- Clinical Trials
Professor Glenda Halliday
NHMRC Leadership Fellow & Professor of Neuroscience, USyd
- Neuropathology
- Biomarkers
- Genetics
Dr Angela D’Rozario
Clinical sleep neurophysiologist and Senior Research Fellow, USyd
- Sleep and Sleep Disorders
- Neurophysiology
- High-density Electroencephalography
Dr Camilla Hoyos
NHMRC-ARC Dementia Research Fellow, USyd
- Sleep Disorders
- Sleep
- Clinical Trials
Dr Andrew McKinnon
Dementia Australia Research Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow; Clinical Neuropsychologist, USyd
- Neuroimaging
- Neuropsychology
- Statistics
Dr Loren Mowszoski
NHMRC-ARC Dementia Research Development Fellow, Clinical Neuropsychologist, USyd
- Neuropsychology
- Cognitive Intervention
- Behavioural Research
Dr Yue Yang
Postdoctoral researcher, USyd
- Neuropathology
- Tissue Imaging
- Biomarkers
Andrea Ricciardiello
PhD Student
The Impact of Sleep Disturbance on Sleep Dependent Emotional Memory Consolidation: An Investigation of Late-Life Depression
Supervisors: Sharon Naismith, Angela D’Rozario, Rick Wassing, Fiona Kumfor
Years:
Shawn Dexiao Kong
PhD Student
To examine autonomic function during sleep, via heart rate variability, in older adults at risk of dementia, and how nocturnal autonomic function is linked to the morphological and functional integrity of the brain
Supervisors: Prof Sharon Naismith, Dr Camilla Hoyos, A/Prof Craig Phillips, Dr Andrew McKinnon, Dr Craig Gordon
Years: