Steffen Gais

Does our brain need sleep? Yes, definitely. Or else you wouldn't learn. (True at least for learning parafoveal visual discrimination. Other types of memory are just enhanced by sleep.) But what are the mechanisms that mediate this effect? My current projects look into the relationship between sleep-related neuromodulator release and sleep-related memory induction. A special interest here lies in the actions of cholinergic and aminergic neuromodulation. Also, we investigate in how processes of long-term potentiation and depression at glutamatergic synapses take part in forming new memories during sleep.

Schultes, B., Kern, W., Oltmanns, K. M., Peters, A., Gais, S., Fehm, H. L. & Born, J. (2005) Differential adaptation of neurocognitive brain functions to recurrent hypoglycemia in healthy men. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 30(1):149-161. [PubMed] [request reprint]

Mölle, M., Marshall, L., Gais, S. & Born, J. (2004) Learning increases human electroencephalographic coherence during subsequent slow-sleep oscillations. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 101(38):13963-13968. [PubMed] [request reprint]

Merl, V., Kern, W., Peters, A., Oltmanns, K. M., Gais, S., Born, J., Fehm, H. L. & Schultes, B. (2004) Differences between night-time and daytime hypoglycaemia counterregulation in healthy humans. Metabolism. 53(7):894-898. [PubMed] [request reprint]

Gais, S. & Born, J. (2004) Low acetylcholine during slow-wave sleep is critical for declarative memory consolidation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 101(7):2140-2144. [PubMed] [request reprint]

Wagner, U., Gais, S., Haider, H., Verleger, R. & Born, J. (2004) Sleep inspires insight. Nature. 427(6972):352-355. [PubMed] [request reprint]

Gais, S., Born, J., Peters, A., Schultes, B., Heindl, B., Fehm, H. L. & Kern, W. (2003) Hypoglycemia counterregulation during sleep. Sleep 26(1):55-59. [PubMed] [request reprint]

Hallschmid, M., Gais, S., Meinert, S. & Born, J. (2003) NPY attenuates positive cortical DC-potential shift upon food intake in man. Psychnoneuroendocrinology 28(4):530-540. [PubMed] [request reprint]

Mölle, M., Marshall, L., Gais, S. & Born, J. (2002) Grouping of spindle activity during slow oscillations in human non-REM sleep. J. Neurosci. 22(24):10941-10947. [PubMed] [request reprint]

Gais, S., Mölle, M., Helms, K. & Born, J. (2002) Learning-dependent increases in sleep spindle density. J. Neurosci.22(15):6830-4. [PubMed] [request reprint]

Gais, S., Sommer, M., Fischer, S., Perras, B. & Born, J. (2002) Post-trial administration of vasopressin in humans does not enhance memory formation. Peptides. 23(3):581-3. [PubMed] [request reprint]

Gais, S., Plihal, W., Wagner, U. & Born, J. (2000) Early sleep triggers memory for early visual discrimination skills. Nat. Neurosci. 3(12):1335-9. [PubMed] [request reprint]

Wagner, U., Gais, S. & Born, J. (2001) Emotional memory formation is enhanced across sleep intervals with high amounts of rapid eye movement sleep. Learn. Mem. 8(2):112-9. [PubMed] [request reprint]

Other Contributions 

Gais, S. & Born, J. (2004) Declarative memory consolidation: Mechanisms acting during human sleep. Learn. Mem. 11(6):679-685. [PubMed] [request reprint]

Gais, S. & Born, J. (2004) Multiple processes strengthen memory during sleep. Psychol. Belg. 44(1-2):105-120.

Gais, S. (2004) Long-Term Potentiation. Lancet Neurology. 3(9):569.

Born, J. & Gais, S. (2004) Den Seinen gibt’s der Herr im Schlaf – Mechanismen schlafassoziierter Gedächtnisbildung. In: Katschnig, H. & Saletu-Zyhlarz (Eds.) Schlafen und Träumen. Wien: Facultas.

Born, J. & Gais, S. (2003) Roles of early and late nocturnal sleep for the consolidation of human memories. In: P. Maquet, C. Smith & R. Stickgold (Eds.) Sleep and brain plasticity. New York: Oxford University Press.

Born, J. & Gais, S. (2000) REM sleep deprivation: the wrong paradigm leading to the wrong conclusions. Behav. Brain Sci. 23(6):912.