Prof. Dr. Peter Achermann

 

Main Goals, Keywords

Sleep and sleep regulation, circadian rhythms: mathematical modeling and biosignal analysis (sleep regulation, circadian rhythms, EEG analysis, brain mapping, modeling).

Group Members

1 senior research fellow, 2 postdoctoral fellows, 2 PhD students

Previous and Current Research

Signal analysis of the EEG. Mathematical modeling of sleep processes and circadian rhythms. Topographic analysis of the EEG. Effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields of type GSM on sleep, sleep EEG and regional cerebral blood flow (collaborative project with IT’IS and Clinic of Nuclear Medicine). Sleep and regional cerebral blood flow assessed by PET (collaborative project with Clinic of Nuclear Medicine). Sleep and EEG analysis in parkinsonian and pain patients before and after stereotactic neurosurgery (collaborative project with the Clinic of Neurosurgery), and in stroke patients (collaborative project with Clinic of Neurology, University of Zurich and Bern). Effects of rapid transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on EEG topography during waking and subsequent sleep (collaborative project with Psychiatric Neuroimaging Group, University of Bern).

 

Figure: Sleep recording of a human subject. Top: nonREM sleep stages 1 to 4, -1 to -4; REM sleep, 0; waking and movement time, 1. Bottom: EEG power density spectra color-coded on a logarithmic scale [dB].

Note:

• highest power in low delta range (< 2 Hz) during slow wave sleep
• alpha activity (10 Hz) during slow wave sleep and waking (at 7 h)
• spindle frequency activity (14 Hz) in nonREM sleep

Future Projects

Search for local and use-dependent features of sleep. More emphasis on clinical aspects.

Techniques and Equipment

Four human sleep recording units within a temporal isolation unit. Equipment for brain mapping. Ambulatory EEG recording and activity monitoring.

Selected Publications

• Loughran S.P., Benz D.C., Schmid M.R., Murbach M., Kuster N., and Achermann P. (2013) No increased sensitivity in brain activity of adolescents exposed to mobile phone-like emissions. Clin. Neurophysiol., in press.
• Metz A. J., Pugin F., Huber R., Achermann P.*, and Wolf M.* (2013) Brain tissue oxygen saturation increases during the night in adolescents. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, in press. *shared last authorship.
• Geiger A., Huber R., Kurth S., Ringli M., Achermann P.* and Jenni O.G.* (2012) Sleep EEG topography and children's intellectual ability. Neuroreport, 23, 93 - 97. *Joint senior Authorship
• Schmid M.R., Loughran S.P., Regel S.J., Murbach M., Bratic Grunauer A., Rusterholz T., Bersagliere A., Kuster N., and Achermann P. (2012) Sleep EEG alterations: Effects of different pulse-modulated radio frequency  electromagnetic fields. J. Sleep Res. 21, 50–58 

Selected Lectures, Seminars or Colloquia

• Colloquium: Advances in sleep research
• Comparative physiology of sleep
• Circadian rhythms

Funding

Swiss National Science Foundation, Foundation ‘Sustainable Mobile Communication’, Industry

URL

http://www.pharma.uzh.ch/research/chronobiology/areas/sleepbiology.html