Ricerc@Sapienza

Dreaming is a subjective experience created during sleep and accessible for recollection after awakening. Experimental studies, developed after the discovery of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, indicate that, contrary to popular opinion, dreaming occurs, albeit with some quantitative and qualitative differences, during all stages and cycles of sleep. By monitoring sleep stages using electropolygraphic techniques, a successful dream recall is obtained after about 80% of awakenings from REM sleep and about 50% after NREM sleep in healthy subjects.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) seriously affected the whole of
Italy. The extreme virulence and the speed of propagation resulted in restrictions and
home confinement. This change was immediately perceived by people who found
themselves exposed to feelings of uncertainty, fear, anger, stress, and a drastic change
in the diurnal but above all nocturnal lifestyle. For these reasons, we aimed to study
the quality of sleep and its connection to distress levels and to evaluate how lifestyle

The crucial role of sleep in physical and mental health is well known, especially during the developmental period. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in examining the relationship between sleep patterns and school performance in adolescents. At this stage of life, several environmental and biological factors may affect both circadian and homeostatic regulation of sleep. A large part of this population does not experience adequate sleep, leading to chronic sleep restriction and/or disrupted sleep–wake cycles.

The current research in the field of sleep and AD is increasing in importance, denoting a possible innovative future in terms of non-invasive and early interventions and prevention strategies. The above-mentioned results on sleep electroencephalogram in relation with AD have to be considered as preliminary reports, because other confirmations are needed. Future researches should propose complex and integrated experimental protocols, in order to provide concurrent electrophysiological, behavioral, anatomical and neuropsychological data.

Sleep has a crucial role in brain functioning and cognition, and several sleep electroencephalography (EEG) hallmarks are associated with intellectual abilities, neural plasticity, and learning processes. Starting from this evidence, a growing interest has been raised regarding the involvement of the sleep EEG in brain maturation and cognitive functioning during typical development (TD). The aim of this review is to provide a general framework about the maturational changes and the functional role of the human sleep EEG during TD from birth to late adolescence (22 years).

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are often characterised by sleep problems, and recent evidence indicates alterations of the sleep electroencephalographic (EEG) oscillations in these patients. Sleep microstructure plays a crucial role in cognitive functioning and brain maturation. In this view, modifications in sleep EEG oscillations in NDDs could further impair the cognitive maturation process in these patients.

We have entered an era of a steep increase in the absolute and relative number of older
people. This well-come phenomenon represents a major challenge for health care. However, maturational
changes in sleep associated with aging do not easily appear as main factors, even though
sleep alterations in the aging process lead to many detrimental consequences. In this editorial paper,
we summarize the present knowledge about the main aging-related sleep modifications and their

Background: In order to explore the possible association between chronotype and risk of medication errors and chronotype in Italian midwives, we conducted a web-based survey. The questionnaire comprised three main components: (1) demographic information, previous working experience, actual working schedule; (2) individual chronotype, either calculated by Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ); (3) self-perception of risk of medication error.

Background. Poor executive functions are associated with dysregulated eating and greater caloric intake in healthy samples. In parallel, findings suggested that sleep deprivation impairs executive functions.
Methods. We investigated whether partial sleep deprivation impairs executive functions in individuals reporting binge eating (BE, N = 14) and healthy controls (C, N = 13). Switch cost and backward inhibition were measured using the Task Switching Paradigm after a habitual night of sleep and after a night of partial sleep deprivation.

Hospital staff are at the frontline in the COVID-19 outbreak. The stressors they ex- perience may induce sleep problems in a population already at risk. Sleep depriva- tion, long shifts and insomnia in hospital staff have been associated with individual, organizational and public health hazards. These include increased risk of mental and somatic disorders, altered immune responses, medical errors, misunderstand- ings, drowsy driving and burnout.