Phasic Sleep Events Shape Cognitive Function after Traumatic Brain Injury: Implications for the Study of Sleep in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

The biological functions of sleep have long eluded the medical and research community. In four consecutive issues of AIMS Neuroscience, original and review manuscripts were recently published regarding the mechanisms and function of sleep. These articles highlight the well-timed topic of quantitative sleep markers and cognitive functioning as one of extensive interest within the field of neuroscience. Our commentary on the original research performed by Cote, Milner, and Speth (2015) brings attention to the importance of examining individual differences in sleep and cognition in subjects with traumatic brain injury (TBI), and provides support for conducting similar sleep analyses in neurodevelopmental disorders. 1. The Elusive Function of Sleep We read with interest the past 4 issues of AIMS Neuroscience, where the timely topic of the biological function of sleep was reviewed over multiple issues (see [1–3]). From these reviews, it is evident that despite extensive knowledge of the cellular mechanisms and the neuroanatomical underpinnings of sleep, the function of sleep remains elusive, with the majority of research conclusions derived from observations of the immediate effects of acute or chronic sleep deprivation.