Sleep Apnea: Determinants and Consequences

描述（由申请人提供）： 该提案的主要目标是为申请人提供受保护的时间，作为学生，学员和初级教师的导师。该指导工具将包括两个研究项目，重点是男性性激素对睡眠期间呼吸的影响和睡眠期间长期促进的决定因素。这项研究计划的重点是男性性激素对睡眠呼吸的影响。具体目标是： 1.探讨睡眠状态下LTF的发生及其影响因素。我们假设睡眠中的人，特别是打鼾和吸气流量限制的受试者，可以通过重复缺氧激活LTF。 2.确定LTF是否导致咽口径增加和吸气流量限制改善。我们假设LTF对上呼吸道扩张肌活动的优先效应相对于胸泵肌，因此它通过减少上呼吸道阻力来“卸载”上呼吸道。 3.目的探讨快速眼动睡眠对上气道通畅的影响。我们假设，在REM睡眠期间，腭后和舌后水平的咽部开放性得以保留。指导计划将根据职业阶段和目标进行个性化。学生将获得一个有针对性的课程与具体的任务，以提高研究兴趣和培养批判性思维能力。博士前研究员的指导过程将强调具体的研究技能，包括公开演讲，科学写作和科学辩论，包括理解方法和外推的局限性。博士后研究员和初级教师的重点将是培养独立的研究，从而形成一个独立的（更恰当地称为“相互依存”）研究项目。工作环境很好，机构的承诺也很好。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The key objective of this proposal is to provide protected time for the applicant to serve as a mentor for students, trainees, and junior faculty. The mentoring vehicle will consist of two research projects focusing on the effects of male sex hormones on breathing during sleep and the determinants of long term-facilitation during sleep. The research plan is focused on the effects of male sex hormones on breathing during sleep. The specific aims are: 1. To investigate the occurrence and determinants of LTF in sleeping humans. We hypothesize that LTF can be activated by repetitive hypoxia in sleeping humans especially subjects with snoring and inspiratory flow limitation. 2. To determine whether LTF results in increased pharyngeal caliber and amelioration of inspiratory flow limitation. We hypothesize that LTF has a preferential effect on upper airway dilating muscle activity relative to thoracic pump muscles and hence it "unloads" the upper airway by reducing upper airway resistance. 3. To investigate the effect of REM sleep on upper airway patency. We hypothesize that pharyngeal patency is preserved during REM sleep both at the retropalatal and retroglossal levels. The mentoring plan will be individualized based on the career stage and objectives. Students will receive a focused curriculum with specific assignments to enhance research interest and nurture critical thinking ability. The mentoring process for pre-doctoral fellows will emphasize specific research skills including public presentation, scientific write up, and scientific debate including understanding the limitations of methodology and extrapolation. The focus in post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty will be to nurture independent research leading to an independent (more aptly called, "interdependent") research program. The work environment is outstanding and the institutional commitment is superb.