The American Association for the Advancement of Science & The Dana Foundation are pleased to invite you to the first event of the 2014 series on Neuroscience & Society, Wake up, I'm Speaking The Neuroscience of Sleep and Dreaming, on March 11 at AAAS headquarters in Washington, D.C.
It seems that everybody, from comedians, to poets, to world leaders, have something to say about sleep. So why not scientists? Sleep, or the lack of it, is the focus of considerable research in the United States, where sleep disorders and sleep deprivation have been associated with poor cognitive performance, behavioral problems, accidents, ill health and other factors that adversely affect quality of life. When we do sleep, we also dream; in fact, during a typical lifetime, people spend an average of six years dreaming. In the past, dreams have been interpreted as omens of the future, representations of reality, and even divine messages from the gods. Nowadays, we tend to have slightly more rational views about dreams, but their significance and meaning remain a subject of debate in both science and public discourse.
Speakers will address what neuroscience research tells us about sleep, sleep disorders, the mechanisms and functions of dreaming, and the impact of sleep research on medicine and society. Register today!
Presenters: Clifford B. Saper, M.D., Ph.D.
James Jackson Putnam Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience
Harvard Medical School
Deirdre Leigh Barrett, Ph.D
Department of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School
Michael J. Twery, Ph.D.
Director, National Center on Sleep Disorders Research
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH
Date:
March 11, 2014
5:30 p.m. ET
Reception to follow
Location:
AAAS Auditorium
1200 New York Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20005