Methodological Approaches for Sleep and Vigilance Research examines experimental procedures used to study the sleep-wake cycle, with topics covered by world leaders in the field. The book focuses on techniques commonly used in the sleep field, including polysomnography, electrophysiology, single- and multi-unit spiking activity recording, brain stimulation, EEG power spectra, optogenetics, telemetry, and wearable and non-wearable tracking devices. Further chapters on imaging techniques, questionnaires for sleep assessment, genome-wide association studies, artificial intelligence and big data are also featured. This discussion of significant conceptual advances into experimental procedures is suitable for anyone interested in the neurobiology of sleep. - Discusses current sleep research methodologies for experienced scientists - Focuses on techniques that allow measurement or assessment for the sleep-wake cycle - Outlines mainstream research techniques and experimental characteristics of their uses - Includes polysomnography, deep brain stimulation, and more - Reviews sleep-tracking devices, EEG and telemetry - Covers artificial intelligence and big data in analysis

The idea of placebo-controlled drug trials and the advent of test statistics during the first part of this century were the major milestones in the establishment of a convincing methodology for demonstrating the efficacy of treatments. The first tricyclic and neuroleptic drugs were tested for their efficacy in psychiatric disorders along the lines of these methodological developments, but subsequent trials with psychotropic drugs did not adhere to these principles to the same extent because it became difficult to justify placebo-controlled trials once effective treatments had been established. Consequently, the second generation of an tidepressants and neuroleptics (since the early 1960s) were mainly tested, in Europe at least, in samples of patients using trials controlled by standard treatment only, and the methodological basis of these second generation trials became fragile, as will be demonstrated by several papers in this book. This development did not provoke much discussion until recently, when scientific and administrative interest in the methodology of the evaluation of psychotropic drugs increased substantially. A series of factors contribute to the growing interest in the standards of psychotropic drug trials: 1. The proportion of psychiatric patients resistant to treatment is growing; the efficacy of well-established forms of treatment therefore seems to be limited. 2. A series of psychotropic drugs were withdrawn from the market, mainly because they caused serious side effects. The efficacy and safety ofthese drugs had previously been demonstrated in drug trials, which raised the question whether the drug trials carried out were well-designed.

There are approximately 4,000 fatalities in crashes involving trucks and buses in the United States each year. Though estimates are wide-ranging, possibly 10 to 20 percent of these crashes might have involved fatigued drivers. The stresses associated with their particular jobs (irregular schedules, etc.) and the lifestyle that many truck and bus drivers lead, puts them at substantial risk for insufficient sleep and for developing short- and long-term health problems. Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Fatigue, Long-Term Health and Highway Safety assesses the state of knowledge about the relationship of such factors as hours of driving, hours on duty, and periods of rest to the fatigue experienced by truck and bus drivers while driving and the implications for the safe operation of their vehicles. This report evaluates the relationship of these factors to drivers' health over the longer term, and identifies improvements in data and research methods that can lead to better understanding in both areas.

Methods in Behavioral Pharmacology is unique in offering a complete description and critical evaluation of most, if not all, methods available to study the effects of drugs on behavior. It stands apart in that it is not limited to the analysis of a particular class of pharmacological agents in a limited number of paradigms. Methods in Behavioral Pharmacology covers all paradigms without reference to specific pharmacological compounds. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the methodology used to study the behavioral effects of legal and illegal drugs. It also provides an in-depth presentation of dependent variables, their quantification and a critical evaluation of their advantages and disadvantages. An excellent work, contributed to by well-known experts in the different fields of behavioral pharmacology.

Clinical practice related to sleep problems and sleep disorders has been expanding rapidly in the last few years, but scientific research is not keeping pace. Sleep apnea, insomnia, and restless legs syndrome are three examples of very common disorders for which we have little biological information. This new book cuts across a variety of medical disciplines such as neurology, pulmonology, pediatrics, internal medicine, psychiatry, psychology, otolaryngology, and nursing, as well as other medical practices with an interest in the management of sleep pathology. This area of research is not limited to very young and old patientsâ€"sleep disorders reach across all ages and ethnicities. Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation presents a structured analysis that explores the following: Improving awareness among the general public and health care professionals. Increasing investment in interdisciplinary somnology and sleep medicine research training and mentoring activities. Validating and developing new and existing technologies for diagnosis and treatment. This book will be of interest to those looking to learn more about the enormous public health burden of sleep disorders and sleep deprivation and the strikingly limited capacity of the health care enterprise to identify and treat the majority of individuals suffering from sleep problems.

This edited collection of articles addresses aspects of medical care in which human error is associated with unanticipated adverse outcomes. For the purposes of this book, human error encompasses mismanagement of medical care due to: * inadequacies or ambiguity in the design of a medical device or institutional setting for the delivery of medical care; * inappropriate responses to antagonistic environmental conditions such as crowding and excessive clutter in institutional settings, extremes in weather, or lack of power and water in a home or field setting; * cognitive errors of omission and commission precipitated by inadequate information and/or situational factors -- stress, fatigue, excessive cognitive workload. The first to address the subject of human error in medicine, this book considers the topic from a problem oriented, systems perspective; that is, human error is considered not as the source of the problem, but as a flag indicating that a problem exists. The focus is on the identification of the factors within the system in which an error occurs that contribute to the problem of human error. As those factors are identified, efforts to alleviate them can be instituted and reduce the likelihood of error in medical care. Human error occurs in all aspects of human activity and can have particularly grave consequences when it occurs in medicine. Nearly everyone at some point in life will be the recipient of medical care and has the possibility of experiencing the consequences of medical error. The consideration of human error in medicine is important because of the number of people that are affected, the problems incurred by such error, and the societal impact of such problems. The cost of those consequences to the individuals involved in medical error, both in the health care providers' concern and the patients' emotional and physical pain, the cost of care to alleviate the consequences of the error, and the cost to society in dollars and in lost personal contributions, mandates consideration of ways to reduce the likelihood of human error in medicine. The chapters were written by leaders in a variety of fields, including psychology, medicine, engineering, cognitive science, human factors, gerontology, and nursing. Their experience was gained through actual hands-on provision of medical care and/or research into factors contributing to error in such care. Because of the experience of the chapter authors, their systematic consideration of the issues in this book affords the reader an insightful, applied approach to human error in medicine -- an approach fortified by academic discipline.