The Brain, Behavior, and Performance
The functions and complexities of the brain are among the most fascinating and least understood areas of human health. WSU is leading targeted research in this area, advancing our understanding of how the brain produces complex behaviors such as sleeping, eating, emotion, motivation, and memory; and how disturbances in the brain’s intricate organization contribute to poor performance in the workplace and society. Research in this area concentrates on three interrelated and interacting foci: sleep and performance, emotion and well–being, and motivation and rewards. Better understanding will improve therapies and diagnostics and help manage performance in the work place, the military, and other arenas that are impacted by sleep disturbance.
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A powerful team of neuroscientists and sleep researchers at WSU Pullman and WSU Spokane are at the cusp of new theoretical and practical breakthroughs in understanding how the brain regulates sleep, how to improve performance, and how to reduce poor decisions and accidents caused by insufficient sleep. WSU’s David Rector (seated), assistant professor in Veterinary and Comparative anatomy, recently proved a new theory explaining how the brain goes to sleep, findings that will forever change sleep research. James Kruger (standing, right), professor in Veterinary and Comparative anatomy first developed this model in 1993. Drs. Kruger and Rector work closely with sleep researchers Gregory Belenky (standing, left), director of the Sleep Research Institute at WSU Spokane and Hans Van Dongen (not pictured), assistant director of the Institute, who received $1.5 million from the Keck Medical Research group to test a new theory of the brain organization of sleep. Read more. |
Areas of research preeminence
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