In cooperation with many institutions and research centers, Sleepacta has actively participated and is still participating in numerous scientific research projects:

• Juvenile Diabetes Association and Pediatric Diabetology Unit, Pediatric Department, S. Chiara General Hospital: Impact of intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring with alarms on sleep and metabolic outcomes in children and adolescent with type 1 diabete.

• Dravet Italia Onlus: Non-invasive sleep monitoring in Dravet patients.
• Sleep and Memory Lab (University of Amsterdam): Development of indexes to non-invasively monitor sleep stages via actigraphic measurements.
• SIN-DEM (Autonomous Member Association of the Italian Society of Neurology for Dementia): Multicenter Study on Sleep and Circadian Alterations as Objective Markers of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease Reveals Sex Differences.
• Chalfont (UCL) – Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Quenn Square Institute of Neurology National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy: Actigraphic sleep monitoring in epileptic patients. Investigation on the circadian distribution of seizures and cortical excitability.

SonnoLab carries out all the clinical studies and research projects of Sleepacta and is continuously looking for candidates to increase the database of its neural network. People interested in being involved in one or more projects can confirm their availability by filling in the following online calendar:

• Participate in the study

In this calendar, you can enter your availability on the date that is most convenient to you (dates containing the NAME box are the available dates – please note that the entry is shown at the time the experiment takes place); by clicking on the box, you can edit the field by entering your data: first name, surname, telephone number and e-mail; please enter only one date and do not delete any names that are already present.

One of the diagnostic tools routinely used in SonnoLab, is the so-called dynamic EEG holter recording, that has a total duration of about 12 hours. The preparatory phase of electrode assembly usually takes place at 6 p.m. at the Sleep Centre (Santa Chiara Hospital, building 13, 2nd floor) and takes around 60 minutes, after which you are free to return to your home and carry out your normal routines; disassembly is carried out the following morning, and takes about 20 minutes.

Some precautions are recommended to ease and make more comfortable the anchoring of the electrodes: a water-soluble paste that is absolutely non-toxic and easy to remove at the end of the examination, is used. In addition, a net is placed around the head for the same purpose of keeping the electrodes stable on the skin of the head. To improve the success of the examination, following are some recommendations:

• do not use hair conditioners/products in the hours immediately prior to the examination, as they might hinder the anchorage of the electrodes to the scalp.
• Do not use creams or ointments, preferably wear a T-shirt, which will then remain worn for the duration of the experiment.
• Preferably wear loose, comfortable trousers (e.g., tracksuit) that facilitate the passage of certain threads used to measure leg muscle activity.
• It is desirable (but not mandatory) that the chin is adequately shaved, in case the subject has a beard, to allow anchoring of the myographic electrodes.

After candidate has booked his (or her) availability, he (or she) will be contacted by e-mail in order to finalize the details of the experiment a couple of days prior to the date indicated by him.

For further clarification:

Prof. Ugo Faraguna ([email protected]) Lecturer in Human Physiology

Dr. Marco Di Galante ([email protected]) Neurophysiopathology Technician

In addition to its own clinical studies and research projects, SonnoLab collaborates with the University of Pisa and Stella Maris on a series of experiments focusing on the application of disruptive technologies and telemonitoring systems in the study of human physiology.

For those Interested in participating to an experiment, can register at the following link sonnolab.med.unipi.it/home and choose the study project they wish to undergo. All projects involve the use of wrist actigraphs, EEG, eye-trackers or other portable devices, and online interfaces for filling in questionnaires and performing cognitive and behavioral activities.

• Participate in the experiment

Info soon available.