Older Adult Sleep Studies

We're recruiting individuals between 40-80 years of age for studies

on the relationship between sleep and memory!

The studies include learning pictures, word lists, or simple finger movements.
Typical studies are composed of four sessions lasting 0.5-2hr each, and you will wear sensors to record your sleep activity on one night. You are free to withdraw anytime. Participants should have normal or corrected vision, have no history of a neurological, psychiatric, or sleep disorder, and not be taking sleep-affecting medication.

For more information,

1) please call us at 413-545-3849,
2) please email somneurolab@gmail.com or

3) please click this link at your earliest convenience.

Motor Memory and Overnight Sleep Study

We are currently recruiting individuals between 60-75 yrs of age for a study looking at the relationship between sleep and memory. Specifically, you would complete a motor memory task before and after a night of sleep and a day spent awake. This study includes learning simple finger movements and is composed of five sessions, lasting 0.5-2hr each, over the course of 2 weeks.

Participating in the study involves 3 visits to the Somneuro Sleep Lab at UMass: two Wake/Day visits and one overnight Sleep/Night visit – which take place about a week apart. In the Wake sessions, you would complete a learning task in the morning and again ~12 hrs later. In the overnight Sleep sessions, you would complete a learning task in the evening and again ~12 hrs later the next morning, after a night of sleeping in the lab wearing sensors. Finally, you would be asked to wear an activity-monitoring watch and fill out a sleep diary to track your sleep patterns for the duration of the study.

At the beginning of the study, you will receive the watch on a pre-arranged date, when you will also receive an intake orientation from an assistant who will walk through the specific study instructions with you. Trained laboratory staff would guide you through completing the memory task in the lab, apply electrode sensors to your head, and remotely monitor your sleep.

You are free to withdraw anytime. Participants should have no history of neurological, psychiatric, or sleep disorders, should have normal vision, and should not be taking sleep-affecting medication. Compensation for your time is available for up to $110 upon completion of the entire study. If you are interested in enrolling, please contact us at somneurolab@gmail.com for more information or to see if you qualify!

Resting-State Brain Activity and Sleep Study

Sleep affects brain functions related to motor memory consolidation, even after waking up. To investigate how sleep impacts the activity of resting-state brain regions involved in memory consolidation, we recruit participants (65-75 years old) to participate in a research examining the effects of sleep and wakefulness on motor memory. It is important to note that overnight sleep in the laboratory is not required for participating in this study.

The study consists of two distinct sessions: 1) The Sleep Session Day, encompassing an evening and the subsequent morning, and 2) The Wake Session Day, spanning a morning and an evening of the same day. The order of the sessions is randomized.

In each session, participants will engage in a finger-movement memory task, resting-state brain activity recording and short surveys. Prior to the commencement of the sessions, a thorough prescreening will be conducted to evaluate participants' sleep health, depression state and other factors. Additionally, participants will be required to wear an actigraphy watch and complete succinct sleep diary over a 16-day period. Upon successful completion of all mandated sessions, participants will receive a compensation of $125. We also offer prorated compensation for those who participate partially in the study. If you are interested in contributing to this study on sleep and memory, we kindly invite you to register your participation.