Stanford University professor Lluis de Lecea gives a lecture in Lleida to healthcare professionals on the neuromodulation of brain states

Lluis de Lecea, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at Stanford University, has today delivered a lecture on the neuromodulation of brain states at the Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital in Lleida. De Lecea began his career at the University of Barcelona and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular neurobiology at The Scripps Research Institute. His laboratory uses optogenetic, molecular, anatomical and behavioural techniques to identify and manipulate key neural circuits in the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle, investigating how the activation of certain neurons can induce the transition from sleep to wakefulness.

One of their most notable contributions is the discovery of hypocretins (or orexins), molecules produced by a small group of neurons that act as a true "switch" keeping us awake. This discovery has been key to understanding disorders such as narcolepsy and to driving new lines of research into insomnia, stress and addiction.