Our conference “Network – Knowledge Forum” hosted Dragana Rogulja, neuroscientist and assistant professor at the Institute of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School.
She is 25. May 2024. In Belgrade, she gave a lecture on the topic “Why is sleep necessary for survival?” (“Why Is Sleep Essential for Survival?”).
In her fascinating presentation, Dragana Rogulja presents the latest, groundbreaking discoveries from her research laboratory, the Rogulja Lab, at Harvard. She revealed how her team is using a model of mouse and fruit fly behavior to study the neural circuits that link internal states to motivated behaviors.
It has long been believed that sleep is closely related to the brain, but Dragana’s team shows that even animals without brains have the ability to sleep. If sleep does not serve a basic purpose, it is considered that it would be the biggest mistake of evolution.
However, as it has survived, scientists assume that it must still have some vital function in our bodies. Learn how sleep deprivation affects the formation of free radicals in the gut and accelerates death, as well as the role of free radicals in stimulating the renewal of intestinal cells.
How excessive sleep deprivation disrupts the balance of nutrients in the gut and how sleep replenishment can restore that balance. Also, find out how we can trick the brain into feeling sleepy and how our intestines, despite this, still tell us that sleep is necessary.
You can watch Dragana Rogulja’s lecture in its entirety on our YouTube channel.
