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The SNOOSE Project – Examining the Sensory Origins of poor Sleep in Early Development
The SNOOSE project is interested in the mechanisms of infant sleep that allow the consolidation of new memories. We are interested in how infant learning relies on microarchitectural features of sleep, such as sleep spindles. We are, for example, examining the role of sleep spindles in attenuating sensory input to allow undisturbed memory consolidation during sleep. Our research participants are infants with or without family history of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). We are exploring how the relationship between infant sleep and sensory hypersensitivity, common in ASD, impact on early cognitive development and the development of Autism symptoms. To test how the sleeping infant responds to potentially disruptive sensory stimulation, we use either short bursts of audio or tactile stimulation and examine the EEG response and post-sleep memory performance.
Supervisors:
Teodora Gliga
Project members:
Achilleas Pavlou
Research Associate
Anna DeLaet
PhD Candidate
Hope Fincham
MSc student
