The Sleep and Chronophysiology Laboratory

Participate in Research

General Eligibility Requirements for Research Participation

Generally medically healthy
Ability to participate in psychiatric evaluation (approximately 1-2 hours)
Ability to spend 1-4 consecutive nights in the Sleep Lab (varies with study)

General Exclusion Criteria

Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless legs syndrome
TMJ / Bruxism
Medical or neurological illnesses (e.g., hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, seizure disorder, history of stroke)
History of severe head injury (loss of consciousness for more than 5 minutes)
Pregnancy
Recent suicide attempt
Shift work

Three research projects currently being studied at the Sleep Laboratory are in critical need of participants. Please read the brief descriptions and visit their Web listings for additional information or to sign-up.

Alcohol and Sleep Study
People with alcohol problems often also have sleep problems, even after they quit drinking for a period of time. Because not being able to sleep can be a big factor in relapse, the researchers hope to find out specifically what causes those sleep problems. This study is seeking adults ages 18 to 65, who have a history of alcohol problems.

Sleep Differences in Depressed Teens
The purpose is to determine how depression and gender affects sleep in adolescence, and how delaying bedtime affects sleep regulation. This study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is seeking teens between 13 and 18, with or without depression.

Managing Sleep and Medication Therapy to Improve Depression Treatment Response
The purpose is to determine if reducing the amount of nightly sleep while taking an approved medication therapy for depression is safer and more effective than the medication with no sleep reduction. This study is seeking adults between 20 and 40, with depression who are not currently receiving medication for their illness or are in the process of being weaned off medication. Patients can be in behavioral or talk therapy.

Studies seeking volunteers at the U-M Sleep & Chronophysiology Lab

Want to help University of Michigan researchers learn more about the links between sleep, biological rhythms and mental health? The U-M Sleep & Chronophysiology Lab is now accepting volunteers for studies that are exploring the following questions:

Whether sound tones played in the ear during sleep can alter the amount and quality of delta-wave (or deep) restorative sleep. This study, funded by a Cohen Family Fund grant, is seeking people between the ages of 18 and 65 who have depression or bipolar disorder.
More information
Whether a talk-therapy approach can help improve both sleep and the odds of recovery among people with alcohol dependence issues who are in recovery programs. This study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is seeking people ages 18 to 65 who have alcohol dependence and insomnia, but not depression or bipolar disorder.
More information
Whether a medication originally developed for epilepsy, and now showing promise for treating insomnia, can improve the sleep of people who are in the early stages of recovery from alcohol dependence. This study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, also seeks healthy people for comparison with volunteers who are in recovery. All volunteers must be between the ages of 20 and 40, abstaining from alcohol, and may not have depression or bipolar disorder.
More information
Whether a non-medication-based approach to improving sleep quality can help people with depression improve their symptoms. This study is seeking people ages 18 to 65 with depression and either insomnia or a problem of waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to get to sleep. Volunteers may be taking medication for depression or not.
More information
How men and women differ in the response of their slow-wave sleep patterns to a three-hour sleep delay, and what impact this has on their mood. This study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is seeking both people with depression, and healthy comparison volunteers, between the ages of 20 and 40 years.
More information
How depression in adolescence affects sleep, and what differences can be seen between physically mature teen boys and girls with and without depression. This study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is seeking teens between 13 and 18, with or without depression.
More information
How sleep and depression interact in women who are about to give birth or have recently given birth, especially among women who have depression during pregnancy or post-delivery. This study seeks women between the ages of 18 and 45 who have passed the 28th week of pregnancy or have given birth recently, and do or do not have depression. The study is funded by the Jack L. Berman, M.D. and Barbara A. Berman, Ph.D. Depression Research Fund and the Depression Center Innovation Fund.
More information
How a regulated schedule of sleeping, exposure to light and activity might affect depression susceptibility or symptoms in children. These two studies are enrolling children ages 8 to 18 years. One will include children who are at risk of depression because they have a mother, father or sibling with the condition. The other will include children who are being treated for depression but who still have symptoms. Both studies, supported by the Cohen Family Fund, will track the children for five years.
More information for at-risk kids: and more information for kids with depression
How sleep and mental state affect how a person processes emotional information. This study is seeking both people who are currently feeling sad or depressed, and people with no current or previous mental health issues.
More information

All of the above sleep studies take place at the Rachel Upjohn Building, 4250 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor, on U-M’s East Medical Campus near US-23. For information on other sleep related studies at U-M, visit the Engage website, www.umengage.org.