Quick Links

The Department of Psychology

Welcome to the Sleep Lab Website

Areas of Exploration

The work of the Baruch College Sleep Lab focuses on the impact of sleep deprivation and sleep loss on next day performance, effort and fatigue. This year we have been exploring the role of sleep and fatigue on time spent in daily activities throughout the day, the affect of sleep loss on eating behavior and the role of fatigue in risk taking.

We also have been involved in exploring the role the prefrontal cortex in effort changes observed with sleep loss, the impact of circadian variation on choice of tasks of varying difficulty, and how loss of sleep affects the mood and choices made by young child athletes.

In related activities, we have been investigating the differences between objectively measured effort and subjectively reported effort. One future project will explore ethnic and cultural variation in objective and subjective effort and fatigue.

Who Are the Members of Our Lab?

Faculty
Mindy Engle-Friedman

PhD Students
Lilia Hayrapetyan (lilia_baruch@yahoo.com)

Undergraduate Students
Paula Orodel
Marina Loshak
Jacqui Momplaisir
Emilia Sotirova
Krishnakumar Reghunath (Baruch)
Anthony Carrasco (Baruch College)

How Our Lab Functions

Our lab includes graduate and undergraduate students who work together to desinweek to discuss ongoing and future research projects. Generally, teams of two co-principal investigators are responsible for literature reviews and for leading lab meetings on these topics. They are also responsible for the IRB proposal. Co-PIs prepare the materials, train other members of the lab to work as research assistants and oversee the running of participants. The Co-PIs analyze the data and begin to prepare a paper for presentation and publication.

The lab is structured so that all research assistants working in the lab are resources for other members of the lab. Students who make significant contributions to a team project are invited to become co-authors manuscripts submitted for presentation and publication.

Lab News

Lilia Hayrapetyan enjoyed her presentation at the Northeast Sleep Society Meeting held in Worcester, MA early in March. She discussed our research and the finding that persons with sleep problems were more likely to eat out than to eat at home. She discussed the role effort plays in this behavior and the health implications.

Marina Loshak, one of our current undergraduate lab members was accepted into a number of prestigious law schools and now has to decide where to attend!

Rama Golan, a past undergraduate in our lab, received her PhD in Clinical Psychology and gave birth to a baby boy this year.

(To all present and past members of our lab, please send news to be posted.)

Publications with REU, Undergraduate and Graduate Student Authors

Engle-Friedman, M., Riela, S., & Strothers, E.* Naturally Occurring Sleep Loss and Its Relation to Effort, Sleepiness, and Mood. Journal of Behavioral Sleep Medicine. Revise and resubmit status.

Engle-Friedman, M. & Palencar, V. ** Sleep and Next Day Effort in Children Figure Skaters. Paper submitted to the Journal of Behavioral Sleep Medicine.

Engle-Friedman, M. & Riela, S. (2004). Self-imposed sleep loss, sleepiness, effort and performance. Sleep and Hypnosis, 6, 155-162.

Engle-Friedman, M., Riela, S.*, Golan, R.,* Ventuneac, A. M.*, Davis, C. M.*, Jefferson, A. D.*, & Major, D*. (2003). The effect of sleep loss on next day effort. Journal of Sleep Research, 12, 113-124.

Conference Presentations with REU, Undergraduate and Graduate Student Authors

Hayrapetyan, L. ** Loshak, M.*, Orodel, O.*, & Engle-Friedman, M. Do Sleep Problems Lead, to More Fast Food Consumption? Paper presented at the Northeast Sleep Society Conference, Worcester, MA., March 10, 2007.

Hayrapetyan. L. **, Orodel, O.*, Loshak, M. * & Engle-Friedman, M. (2007). Do Sleep Problems Affect What We Eat? Paper to be presented at the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) Minneapolis, MN., June 9-14.

Engle-Friedman, M., Garcia, G. **, & Hayrapetyan, L. ** (2005). The expected impact of sleep loss on common daily activities. Sleep, 28, A126.

Engle-Friedman, M. & Palencar, V. ** (2005). Sleep and objective and subjective effort in child athletes. Sleep, 28, A80.

Hayrapetyan, L., & Engle-Friedman, M. (2005). The percent of optimal sleep and daily activities across a 24-hour period. Sleep, 28, A126.

McGee, S.* & Engle-Friedman, M. (2005). The effects of sleep complaints on effort. Sleep, 28, A233.

Engle-Friedman, M., Komolova, M., Schrock, M.,* & Strothers, E. (2004). Effort and the prefrontal cortex following self-induced sleep loss in female and male students. Sleep, 27, A147.

Engle-Friedman, M., Brodacki, E.K., Nikulina, V. Schrock, M.* & Strothers, E. (2004). Does effort follow a circadian rhythm? Sleep, 27, A74.

Engle-Friedman, M. & Riela, S. (2003). The effect of self-imposed sleep loss on effort, sleepiness and exam performance. Sleep, 26, A186.

Engle-Friedman, M., Strothers, E. & Riela, S. (2003). The impact of naturally occurring sleep loss on effort, mood and sleepiness. Sleep, 26, A186.

Engle-Friedman, M., Riela, S., Davis, C. M.*, Golan, R.*, & Murthy, A. ** (2002). Does sleep deprivation affect effort? Sleep, 25, A205.

Key: Bold – REU student
* - Undergraduate Student
** - Graduate Student

Undergraduate Students Who Have Worked in the Sleep Lab in the Last 6 Years

Baruch College
Angela Jefferson
Donna Major
Ana Ventuneac
Rama Golan
Christine Davis
Kareen Sookoo
Barbara Nejman
Aneta Korcz
Sandy Lulu
Jason Feliciano
Peggy Smyrniotopoulous
Harvinder Tinna Kristina Vidov
Elizabeth Baez
Matthew Schrock
Elaine Strothers
Michal Zlotogorsky
Andres Orejuela
Paula Orodel
Sara Bernstein
Michelle Varuzza
Lisa Marie Figueroa
Joel Hoepelman
Lisa Ortiz
Marina Loshak
Jacqui Momplaisir
Krishnakumar Reghunath
Anthony Carrasco
Emilia Sotirova
Stiliyana Stefanova

Brooklyn College
Maria Gantman
Ewa Brodacki

Hunter College
Mariya Komolova
Anna Maria Rojas

City College of New York
Shantae McGee

New York University
Valentina Nikulina

Rutgers University
Luz Restrepo
Danielle Brooks