International Sleep Charity

In this Global Webinar Series instalment, we welcome world renowned Professor Emmanuel Mignot. 

Professor Emmanuel Mignot is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. He practiced medicine in France for several years before joining Stanford as a faculty member in 1991 and was named Director of the Stanford Center for Narcolepsy in 1993. Dr. Mignot was named the Craig Reynolds Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in 2001. He served as the Director of the Stanford Center of Sleep Sciences and Medicine from 2009 to 2019.

Dr. Mignot is internationally recognized for discovering the cause of narcolepsy. His findings led to the development of new hypnotics that block the hypocretin (orexin) receptor and is likely to have other therapeutic applications as well. His research also demonstrated that narcolepsy is a selective autoimmune disease of the hypocretin system showing the involvement of molecular mimicry in humans with influenza A.

Most of Dr. Mignot's current research focuses on the neurobiology, genetics and immunology of narcolepsy, a disorder caused by hypocretin (orexin) cell loss, with indirect interest in the neuroimmunology of other brain disorders.  His laboratory uses state of the art human genetics techniques, such as genome wide association, exome or whole genome sequencing in the study of human sleep and sleep disorders, with parallel studies in animal models.  His laboratory is also interested in web-based assessments of sleep disorders, computer-based processing of polysomnography (PSG), and outcomes research.

For more events, go to www.internationalsleepcharity.org 

Are the media just one more environmental factor that can affect sleep, or are they something else entirely? This talk explores the extent to which our waking and sleeping lives have (or have not) changed by the introduction by consecutive innovation in the entertainment and communication media.

Jan Van den Bulck, PhD, is Professor of Media Psychology at the University of Michigan, where he is also Director of the Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences program.

Professor Van den Bulck is a pioneer in researching media and sleep; his research interests also include the unintended effects of media use on perceptions, attitudes, and behaviour, particularly how and what people learn about the real world from their exposure to fiction. He is the editor of the International Encyclopedia of Media Psychology (Wiley).

How much do we need to sleep? Should we nap? How can I ace that next exam just by sleeping the right way? Join world-renowned neurologist Professor Michael Chee of National University of Singapore talk about all things teenagers and sleep. Part of the International Sleep Charity Global Webinar Series. For future events, more information and transcript go to: www.internationalsleepcharity.org