Eugene Aserinsky
Encyclopedia
Eugene Aserinsky a pioneer in sleep research, was a graduate student at University of Chicago
in 1953 when he discovered REM sleep. He made the discovery after hours spent studying the eyelids of sleeping subjects. While the phenomenon was in the beginning more interesting for a fellow of PhD student Aserinsky, William Charles Dement, both Aserinsky and their PhD adviser, Nathaniel Kleitman
, went on to demonstrate that this "rapid-eye movement" was correlated with dream
ing and a general increase in brain
activity. Aserinsky and Kleitman pioneered procedures that have now been used with thousands of volunteers using the electroencephalograph. Because of these discoveries, Aserinsky and Kleitman are generally considered the founders of modern sleep research.
Eugene Aserinsky died on July 22, 1998, when his car hit a tree north of San Diego due to his having fallen asleep at the wheel. He was 77 and lived in Escondido, Calif.
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1953 when he discovered REM sleep. He made the discovery after hours spent studying the eyelids of sleeping subjects. While the phenomenon was in the beginning more interesting for a fellow of PhD student Aserinsky, William Charles Dement, both Aserinsky and their PhD adviser, Nathaniel Kleitman
Nathaniel Kleitman
Nathaniel Kleitman was Professor Emeritus in Physiology at the University of Chicago. Author of the seminal 1939 book Sleep and Wakefulness, he is recognized as the father of American sleep research...
, went on to demonstrate that this "rapid-eye movement" was correlated with dream
Dream
Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
ing and a general increase in brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
activity. Aserinsky and Kleitman pioneered procedures that have now been used with thousands of volunteers using the electroencephalograph. Because of these discoveries, Aserinsky and Kleitman are generally considered the founders of modern sleep research.
Eugene Aserinsky died on July 22, 1998, when his car hit a tree north of San Diego due to his having fallen asleep at the wheel. He was 77 and lived in Escondido, Calif.