What is the Center for
Sleep and Cognition?
The Center for Sleep and Cognition is devoted to research into the cognitive and emotional functions of sleep and dreaming, and the role of these processes in the evolution of memories. Specifically, we are interested in how sleep and dreaming participate in the normal processing of emotional experiences and of memories more generally, and how these processes contribute to and can be optimized to benefit the mental health and cognitive functioning of an individual.
The CfSC was established by Dr. Robert Stickgold in 2003 as an outgrowth of the Laboratory of Neurophysiology at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, which was under the direction of J. Allan Hobson. Now under the direction of Dr. Tony Cunningham, the CfSC resides in the Dana Building at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and conducts research across the institution. This includes the BIDMC Clinical Research Center (CRC) which is home to four state-of-the-art sleep rooms, top-of-the-line high-density electroencephalogram (hdEEG) amplifiers, polysomnography (PSG) recording and analysis systems, nursing staff support, and a nutrition team.
Led by CfSC Medical Director, Dr. Seo Ho (Michael) Song, our neuromodulation program delivers non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation—high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) and transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS)—during sleep itself, precisely timed to specific sleep stages, with closed-loop systems in development that will read the sleeping brain in real time and stimulate at the moment it matters most. We are particularly excited about tTIS! Where conventional stimulation reaches only the surface of the brain, tTIS can non-invasively reach the deep subcortical centers that generate and regulate sleep. Upcoming projects will target those circuits directly, moving us from enhancing sleep’s signatures to shaping sleep at its source.
Together, Drs. Cunningham and Song look forward to advancing our understanding of the features of sleep that support memory and emotional processing while pioneering a new generation of research that unites behavioral sleep medicine with non-invasive brain stimulation.
The Center for Sleep and Cognition (CfSC) is committed to investigating ways to utilize sleep as a tool to optimize performance and reduce suffering in healthy and clinical populations. By taking a clinical neuroscience approach, we plan to incorporate findings from bench to bedside to better understand the effects of sleep on the human condition. We believe that this interdisciplinary goal will best be accomplished by the inclusion of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and expertise among our lab members and research participants. Moreover, the CfSC believes that access to adequate sleep is a human right and is devoted to promoting and aiding sleep equity in all communities.
Our Passion
The Center for Sleep and Cognition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is currently under the direction of Tony Cunningham, PhD and medical director Dr. Seo Ho (Michael) Song. The CfSC team members represent an interdisciplinary, collaborative assemblage of professionals from the fields of psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience, computer sciences, neurology, medicine, and more, all united by the common interest of understanding the functions of sleep and dreaming in cognitive function and mental well-being.
Our Team
