The Sleep Research Laboratory in the Department of Neurology conducts basic and preclinical research investigating the neural and physiological impairments resulting from lack of sleep. This laboratory was established by Carol A. Everson, PhD, to study neural, immune, and hormonal mechanisms altered by sleep deprivation that may lead directly to impaired health or to exacerbation of other diseases accompanied by chronically poor sleep. The research initiatives are supported largely by awards from the National Institute of Health and compliment national initiatives set forth by the National Sleep Commission on Sleep Disorders Research to improve medical knowledge of sleep function and dysfunction through comparative research. The goals of the laboratory are to elucidate changes in brain and body regulation during sleep deprivation and to determine the biological mechanisms responsible for the restorative value of sleep. The findings are expected to facilitate discoveries leading to treatments alleviating the health consequences of poor sleep.