Research Projects
How does poor sleep lead to increased seizure risk in people with epilepsy?
When people with epilepsy do not sleep well, seizure risk increases. We found, using unbiased approaches in flies, that increased activity of sleep-promoting circuits increases seizure risk. Current projects are focused on understanding how sleep-promoting neurons can control brain-wide excitability. We also seek to gain insight into why seizures in sleep can be lethal.
Cuddapah VA*, Hsu CT, Valle Sirias F, Li Y, Shah HM, Saul C, Killiany S, Guevara C, Shon J, Yue Z, Gionet G, Putt ME, Sehgal A*. (2025) Sleep drive, not total sleep amount, increases seizure risk. Nature Communications. PMID: 40730814* Corresponding author
How do circadian circuits regulate the timing of seizures?
Seizure occurrence is not random. Instead, seizures tend to cluster at particular times of the day in people with epilepsy. Using chronic video tracking in flies, we seek to understand if brain clock neurons time neurological symptoms including seizures.
Do variants in circadian clock genes have neurodevelopmental consequences?
Children with neurodevelopmental disorders very commonly experience sleep/circadian disturbances. Our team is interested in understanding if pathogenic variants in molecular clock genes have neurodevelopmental effects.
Cuddapah VA*, Chen D, Cho B, Moore R, Suri M, Safraou H, Tran-Mau-Them F, Wilson A, Odgis J, Rehman AU, Saunders C, Ganesan S, Jobanputra V, Scherer SW, Helbig I, and Sehgal A*. (2025) Rare variants in BMAL1 are associated with a neurodevelopmental syndrome. PNAS. PMID: 40720646.* Corresponding author
How does genetic variation contribute to sleep/circadian disorders in people?
Little is known about the underlying causes of severe sleep and circadian disease. We seek to identify novel monogenic etiologies for sleep and circadian disorders in people.
Research Support
Research in the lab is only possible because of generous support from
