Researchers in Missouri University of Science and Technology’s Center for Statistical and Computational Modeling of Biological Complexity are using fruit flies to help unlock some of the secrets surrounding sleep and Alzheimer’s disease.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, many people with Alzheimer’s have changes in their sleep patterns, and sleep changes somehow result from the disease’s impact on the brain.
Dr. Matt Thimgan, assistant professor of biological sciences, is working with Dr. V.A. Samaranayake, Curators Teaching Professor of mathematics and statistics, and Dr. Gayla Olbricht, assistant professor of mathematics and statistics, to develop a mathematical model of sleep in the fruit fly, “Drosophila melanogaster.”
“If we fine-tune the ability to get sleep, we might mitigate the consequences of sleep deprivation,” Thimgan says. “It’s something that everyone can relate to; sleep deprivation affects a huge portion of the population.”
Dr. Matt Thimgan, assistant professor of biological sciences, is leading the fruit fly research
Using computational modeling makes the process exponentially faster, the researchers say, because reaching new starting points via traditional methods of biological research could take weeks or months instead of the hours or days needed with computer modeling.
Reviewed 2015-02-20