University of California-Davis · NeuroscienceThe Sleep and Memory Lab
Nigel Paul Pedersen · Davis, California
Research Focus
Dr. Nigel Paul Pedersen's lab at the University of California, Davis, focuses on understanding and improving sleep and memory in patients with epilepsy. By exploring the connections between sleep quality and cognitive function, particularly in the context of epilepsy, the lab aims to develop innovative therapeutic strategies. The research combines behavioral assessments, innovative models, and neural recordings to investigate how enhancing sleep can mitigate seizures and cognitive impairments in epilepsy patients.
epilepsysleep enhancementcognitive functionmemoryneuropsychiatric disorderschemogeneticstemporal lobe epilepsyspatial memorysleep disordersanxiety
Research Aims
5AIM 01Enhance slow-wave sleep to reduce seizures in epilepsy patients.
AIM 02Investigate the impact of sleep disruption on cognitive deficits in epilepsy.
AIM 03Develop better methods to assess memory problems in epilepsy surgery patients.
AIM 04Explore the relationship between sleep quality and neuropsychiatric comorbidities in epilepsy.
AIM 05Test the effectiveness of chronic sleep enhancement on cognitive outcomes.
Skills the Lab Values
chemogenetic techniquesanimal models of epilepsyelectrophysiologyspatial memory assessmentbehavioral testing in rodentsdata analysis with datasetsneuroimaging techniquessleep scoring methodsmemory recall testspsychological testing
Output against the department
Publications86bottom 26% of dept.495th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations4.8kbottom 35% of dept.439th of 671
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.