European Sleep Research Society - ESRS

As part of Masterclass 1 -Understanding Factors That Determine Human Sleep and Circadian Timing, Dr. Eva Winnebeck nd Prof. José María Martín-Olalla will give a presentation on "Controversies: How does preferred sleep timing intersect with the 21st century world?"

In this session, we will look at the tension between chronotype and rigid school and work schedules, how sleep timing shifts with season and longitude, and the acute and chronic effects of daylight saving time.

Let's meet in Maastricht! Early bird rates end 28 July: https://esrs.eu/sleep-congress/registration/

Book club is live with the ESRS EDI Committee! Today's read: "Gina Rippon's The Gendered Brain", challenging everything you thought you knew about brain differences.

Applications are 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 for the inaugural CAJAL Advanced Neuroscience Training Course on Neurobiology of Sleep!

Join leading experts for three weeks of immersive, hands-on training exploring one of neuroscience's most fundamental biological processes. We welcome applications from talented early-career researchers worldwide!
📅 Dates: 19 November – 8 December 2026
⏳ Application Deadline: 3 July
📍 Location: Bordeaux School of Neuroscience, France
🔗 Information and application: https://cajal-training.org/on-site/neurobiology_sleep/
👥 Course Directors: Carolina Gutierrez Herrera, Arthur Leblois, and Julie Seibt

Key topics:
✅ Sleep regulation and function across species, from NREM and REM sleep to synaptic plasticity and memory.
✅ Neural circuit dynamics during sleep, from cell-type-specific and dendritic activity to large-scale brain networks.
✅ State-of-the-art techniques including Neuropixels, high-density EEG, calcium imaging, fiber photometry, chemogenetics, omics, computational modelling, and big data analysis.

The Call for Late Breaking Abstracts for Sleep Europe 2026 is open, and this is the only opportunity you will have to present your most recent work at Europe's foremost sleep science congress.
If your research has reached a new milestone since the main deadline, we invite you to submit! Late-breaking abstracts exist precisely for findings that could not wait.

Deadline: 31 July 2026, 17:00 CEST

Submit here: https://esrs.eu/sleep-congress/abstracts/

𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲?

Dr. Giuseppe Lanza and colleagues used Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to investigate how the brain's motor control systems are affected in Isolated REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder (iRBD), and what this may reveal about the earliest stages of neurodegeneration.

Their findings suggest that interhemispheric inhibition is measurably impaired in iRBD patients, with motor circuit changes detectable long before Parkinson's symptoms appear, raising the prospect of TMS-based biomarkers for early detection.

Read the full blog post: https://esrs.eu/news/sleep-science-friday/how-brain-networks-change-in-rem-sleep-behaviour-disorder/

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝, and we are pleased to present the inaugural master class of our programme:
𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝟏: Understanding Factors That Determine Human Sleep and Circadian Timing (In the Real World)

Chaired by Prof. Anne Skeldon and Prof. Derk-Jan Dijk, University of Surrey
Tuesday, 20 October | 09:00–12:30 CEST | MECC Maastricht

Understanding sleep timing is critical for understanding how to live well in the modern world. This course revisits the theoretical foundations of sleep-wake regulation (circadian rhythmicity, sleep homeostasis, the two-process model, and entrainment by light) before examining the environmental, societal, and geopolitical factors that shape when and how we sleep.

Guest speakers will discuss current data, evidence, and controversies across light exposure, longitude, school and work start times, and daylight saving time policy. The session closes with hands-on demonstrations of how core concepts have been encoded in mathematical and computational models.

Places are limited for this, and early bird registration is open until 28 July!
Don't miss this opportunity! Register here: https://esrs.eu/sleep-congress/registration/

The 17th European Narcolepsy Days are coming up! 2–3 October 2026 in Bern, Switzerland.

This year the EU-NN will offer a scientifically rich program, designed to address both established challenges and emerging directions in the field. Discussions will span from diagnostic classification and its current limitations to the growing understanding of systemic and cardiovascular implications, as well as the increasing role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in sleep medicine.

Particular attention will be given to the interplay between mental health and hypersomnolence disorders, as well as to novel and evolving therapeutic strategies, providing a comprehensive overview of where the field currently stands and where it is heading. The program will also incorporate patient-centered perspectives, ensuring alignment between research priorities and real-world needs.

Don’t miss the chance to join the Keynote Lecture by Luis de Lecea (Stanford University), one of the leading figures in sleep and neurobiology, offering cutting-edge insights into the mechanisms regulating sleep and wakefulness.

More information here: https://www.eu-nn.com/eventi/17th-european-narcolepsy-days/

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬? 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐨? 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧? 𝐎𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?

That's the provocation at the heart of The Gendered Brain by Gina Rippon, and it's what our ESRS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee is bringing to the table in one week.

Whether you're deep into the book or coming in fresh, this is the kind of conversation our field needs. Join us on 18 June. Registration is free and open to everyone!

Register here: https://ow.ly/m08A50Zalmy

On 26 June 2026, the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute (SCNi), endorsed by the ESRS, brings together leading international experts and the Oxford sleep research community for a focused exploration of how advances in sleep research can be translated into clinical practice.

Keynote lectures from Dr Christelle Peyron and Professor Thomas Kilduff, a poster session, and a panel discussion make this a not-to-miss event, and participation is free!

We encourage everyone based in or near Oxford to attend.

Register here: https://ow.ly/N35F50Z9URH

Sleep Europe 2026 brings together leading voices in sleep research and sleep medicine, and we want to make sure that practical constraints do not stand between you and Maastricht this October.

From sustainable travel grants to room-share, we have put in place concrete support for participants at every stage of their career.

Register before 28 July and save € 130 on your congress registration.

Find out what is available via the link: https://esrs.eu/sleep-congress/esrs-support-for-sleep-europe/