Although many genes involved in circadian rhythms have been identified, no gene involoved in the quantity or quality of sleep has been found. I am collaborating with Masashi Yanagisawa, MD, to use the human phenotype of ?short sleeper? (individuals who require less than six hours sleep and who have no other medical or psychiatric condition) to identify candidate sleep genes in a family pedigree approach. In order to understand the role of genes in sleep regulation, it is necessary to screen a collection of DNAs from human subjects with abnormal sleep requirements (employing PCR technology for genomic scan) for mutations in these genes. Necessary to this collaborative study is the acquisition of an adequate number of ?short sleeper? families to be screened. IRB approval of the study has already been sought and approved. I am also collaborating with Rolf Joho, PhD, on a similar study relating to sleep maintenance insomnia with hyperactivity. Dr. Joho has recently received NIH funding for a study of genetic control of sleep by Kv3 potassium channels. Mice with this knockout have a condition similar to humans with sleep maintenance insomnia with hyperactivity. We plan to genetically screen the DNA of humans, both adult and children, with sleep maintenance insomnia and hyperactivity to determine if they have an abnormality of the Kv3 potassium channel.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Circadian rhythm
Sleep disorders
Psychopharmacology of sleep
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Herman, JH, "Reflexive and orienting properties of REM sleep dreaming and eye movements" Sleep and Dreaming: Scientific Advances and Reconsiderations, Cambridge University Pres:161, Spring 2003
Herman, JH, "Pharmacology of sleep" Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine in the Child, Second Edition 2004
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS
McGraw K, Hoffmann R, Harker C, Herman JH, "The development of circadian rhythms in the human infant" Sleep, 22:303-312, 1999
Herman JH, Roffwarg HP, "Modifying oculomotor activitity increases eye movements during REM sleep" Science, 220:1074-1076, 1983
Paulman RG, Devous MD, Gregory RR, Herman JH, Jennings L, Bonte FJ, Nasrallah HA, Raese JD, "Hypofrontality and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia: Dynamic single-photon tomography and neuropsychological assessment of schizophrenic brain function" Biological Psychiatry, 27:377-399, 1990
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