Medical doctor in public health and social medicine, doctor in genetic epidemiology and sleep specialist, I conduct since 2012 studies on sleep in general or clinical pediatric population but more recently also in adults.
The general objective is to better understand the determinants and possible health consequences of different sleep characteristics from childhood, adolescence and adulthood with a lifelong approach.
Sleep represents 1/3 of our life. It exists in all mammals, has persisted throughout evolution, occurring also in adverse environments. It is a vital function allowing physical, psychological and intellectual recovery. Yet, its precise role and its implications on health are far from being all elucidated.
1) Since 2012, my work
Based on data from birth cohorts (such as EDEN, ELFE ...) have consisted in
- to characterize the different changes over time in sleep (duration, quality) in young and very young children
- to identify the determinants of these different evolutions
- and finally to study the associations between these different changes over time and later health indicators.
We have shown, for example, that
- that there are different trajectories of evolution of sleep duration and quality (difficulty in falling asleep and nocturnal awakenings) between 1 and 5.5 years of age,
- that most of the factors determining these sleep trajectories are accessible to prevention (sleep hygiene, smoking, diet, etc.)
- and that these different sleep trajectories, and in particular those with the shortest sleep durations or the most nocturnal awakenings and difficulties in falling asleep between the ages of 2 and 5.5 years, are associated with more symptoms of behavioral problems such as hyperactivity/inattention
From clinical cohorts (with P Franco), we have shown for example
- that early sleep disorders (<12 months) such as night wakings, snoring and sleep patterns were associated with lower cognition measured by IQ at 3 years of age
- that restless sleep (equivalent to REM sleep in toddlers) was associated with better cognition as measured by IQ at age 3
- that there was a greater amount of REM sleep in high potential children
- and that there was a positive association between the quantity of REM sleep and IQ in children with narcolepsy, i.e. with a greater quantity of REM sleep due to their illness2)
2) Since 2022, my research program is integrated in the group on sleep and circadian rhythms of the Waking team that I co-direct with C Gronfier because of the complementarity of our research themes and interests.
This research program consists in particular in the continuation of
Studies on the determinants of sleep characteristics with several focuses
- the interrelations between the different sleep characteristics within the family
- Relationships with exposure to light and screens in children, but also in the general adult population and in night workers (with C Gronfier)
Further studies on health indicators including
- the interrelations between sleep and respiratory health
- the relationship between sleep/circadian rhythm and markers of inflammation in the pediatric population and in night workers (with C Gronfier)
- the relationship between microbiota and sleep in general and clinical populations (with P Franco)
And the development of interventional studies in schools to promote sleep, including napping in kindergarten. These last projects are done in collaboration with S Mazza and A Rey of the Forgetting team of the CRNL.
For more information on our "https://www.crnl.fr/fr/page-base/groupe-sommeil-rythmicite-circadienne-lhumain-epidemiologie-populationnelle-recherche" group
The main people I work with
Mihyeon Kim, PhD student, sleep in families from birth to 3 years old
Zeinab Houselsadat, M2 student, microbiota and sleep at 3.5 years
Ophélie Pingeon, M1 student, sleep in twins
Eve Reynaud, PhD, post-doctoral fellow, interventions in kindergarten
Claude Gronfier, PhD, CR Inserm, specialist in non visual effects of light and circadian rhythms
Véronique Raverot, Biologist, PH, expert in hormonal analysis
Lydie Merle, Technician, Clinical Research Assistant (CRA)
Patricia Franco, MD PhD, PU-PH, sleep specialist
Lauriane Coutier-Marie, MD, MCU-PH, pediatrician
Aurore Guyon, PhD, study leader
Marion Comajuan, MD, neuropediatrician, PhD student
Florian Lecuelle, Clinical psychologist, PhD student
Benjamin Putois, Psychologist (PAM team)
Stéphanie Mazza, PhD, PU, neuropsychologist (Forgetting team)
Amandine Rey, PhD, MCU, neuropsychologist (Forgetting team)
Last update: March 2023