Sleep and Sex Differences in Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury does not affect all patients equally, and emerging research from the Reddy Lab has shed important light on two underexplored variables: sleep and biological sex. Disruptions in sleep, particularly in non-REM sleep patterns, have been identified as potential early indicators of epilepsy development following brain injury, opening a new avenue for monitoring at-risk patients before seizures ever occur. Additionally, research has pointed to meaningful differences in how men and women respond to traumatic brain injury, with hormonal factors appearing to offer women a degree of neurological protection. Understanding how sex hormones and sleep interact with brain injury at the molecular level could unlock entirely new therapeutic strategies for one of neurology’s most complex and persistent challenges.

Selected Publications

Sex Differences in the Anticonvulsant Activity of Neurosteroids
D.S. Reddy. Journal of Neuroscience Research Vol. 95 (2017) pp. 661–670; doi: 10.1002/jnr.23853 pp. 661-670 [PDF] [DOI]