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Science on Tap
Sleep and Snuggling: The Key to Social Connection. Babies sleep more per day during the first two years than at any other point in life. Scientists agree that this is a period of rapid change in the brain and body — but the mystery remains: what function does sleep serve us so early in life?
One idea is that sleep is an opportunity for our brains to practice and process — especially critical early in life when experiencing so many new things in the world. The brain controls how people connect and form relationships with peers and loved ones. Healthy physical connections with others, including a foundation called “social touch” are formed early in life and require proper sleep to fully develop.
Studies have found an association between poor sleep early in life and neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by differences in social connection. This talk will expand on this lingering mystery by exploring:
- How does the function of sleep change with age?
- How a unique rodent — the prairie vole — can teach how sleep and snuggles help brains develop the foundation of social touch.
Noah Milman is a graduate student in the Department of Behavioral Neuroscience at OHSU. Previously, he contributed to the first-in-human clinical trial of 40Hz sensory stimulation
for Alzheimer’s Disease. He is interested in how early-life sleep and environment impact the sensory brain and our social connections later in life.