My primary research focus has been on the role of sleep and sleep loss in human inflammatory homeostasis and early host defense mechanisms. It is commonly thought that sleep is important in protecting against infection and disease and that if we are ill or injured, sleep will help the healing process. My research has investigated sleep deprivation effects on circadian and sleep related hormones in human subjects. We also use a model of bacterial challenge to investigate the response of sleep to early immune system activation, and to investigate the effects of sleep loss on this response in terms of body temperature, hormonal, blood cell and cytokine changes.
Haack M, Sanchez E, Mullington JM. Elevated inflammatory markers in response to prolonged sleep restriction are associated with increased pain experience in healthy volunteers. Sleep 2007; 30:1145-1152.
Haack M. and Mullington J. Sustained sleep restriction reduces emotional and physical well-being. Pain 2005;119:56-64.
Meier-Ewert HK, Ridker PM, Rifai N, Regan MM, Price NJ, Dinges DF and Mullington JM. Effect of sleep loss on C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker of cardiovascular risk. J Amer Coll Cardiol 2004;43:678-83.
Mullington JM, Chan JL, Samaras J, Szuba MP, Meier-Ewert HK, Van Dongen HPA, Price N, Dinges DF, and Mantzoros CS. Sleep loss reduces the amplitude of the diurnal leptin rhythm in healthy men. J Neuroendocrinol 2003;15:851-4.
Mullington J, Korth C, Hermann D, Orth A, Galanos C, Holsboer F & Pollm䣚er T. Dose-dependent effects of endotoxin on human sleep. American J of Physiology 2000;278:R947-55.
External Recognition:
2008- Society for Sleep Research, Board of Directors Member
2007- Preceptor, Training Program in Sleep, Circadian and Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School.
2005-2008 Association of Professional Sleep Societies Program Committee Assignment
2002-2005 Sleep Research Society (National) Education Committee Assignment.
Major Collaborative Activities:
- William Aird
- Christos Mantzoros
- Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Dan Press
- Edwin Robertson
- Jorge Serrador
- Tom Scammell
