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Sleep: Neuroscience, Medicine, and Society Topic for February 19

Dr. Ralph Lydic, Cole Professor of Neuroscience in the Departments of Psychology & Anesthesiology, will present “Sleep: Neuroscience, Medicine, and Society” at the UT Science Forum Friday, February 19.

The oldest cave art dates to about 40,000 years ago suggesting that humans at that time already possessed secondary consciousness and dreaming cognition. The first physiological evidence, however, for the existence of a dreaming phase of sleep did not appear until 1953. This UT Science Forum talk will highlight neuroscience evidence showing that sleep, like breathing, is actively generated by the brain and not the passive loss of wakefulness. Sleep is often devalued as a state of consciousness, yet normal sleep is as essential to health as is nutrition. Virtually everyone has a family member who experiences disordered sleep to some degree. Sleep disorders medicine will be highlighted as a vibrant, medical specialty.

The UT Science Forum takes place in the Thompson-Boling Arena Cafe, Rooms C-D from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring their lunch or purchase it from the Cafe. Each 45-minute presentation is followed by a Q&A session. The UT Science Forum is free and open to the public.