Hans Dringenberg
Professor Emeritus
Department of Psychology
B.A., University of Lethbridge, 1991
M.Sc., University of Western, 1993
Ph.D., University of Western, 1996
Research Interests
Sleep; sleep functions; synaptic plasticity during sleep and waking; sleep and memory consolidation; EEG.
I became interested in Behavioral Neuroscience after taking a course on “Brain and Behavior” taught by Ian Whishaw at the University of Lethbridge. I started to work with Ian and, in 1991, received a B.A. (Psychology) from the U of L. Subsequently, I went to the University of Western Ontario to work with Case Vanderwolf. I received a M.Sc. in Neuroscience in 1993, and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience in 1996. From 1996-1997, I was a post-doctoral fellow at the Institute of Physiological Psychology, University of Duesseldorf, Germany, working with J. P. Huston. In 1998, I took up my current position in the Department of Psychology at 鶹.
Research in the Sleep and Neuroplasticity Lab is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The project title is: "How special is sleep for human memory consolidation?"
Selected Publications
Books
Dringenberg, H.C. (Editor). (2019) Handbook of Sleep Research. Vol. 30, Handbook of Behavioural Neuroscience. Academic Press/Elsevier, San Diego, pp. 1-738.
BOOK CHAPTERS:
Dringenberg, H.C. (2019) Sleep and memory consolidation: conceptual and methodological challenges. In: Dringenberg, H.C. (ed.). Handbook of Sleep Research. Academic Press/Elsevier, pp. 489-501.
Dringenberg, H.C., and Kuo, M.-C. (2006) Cholinergic, histaminergic, and noradrenergic regulation of LTP stability and induction threshold: cognitive implications. In: Levin, E.D., Butcher, L, and Decker, M. (eds.). Neurotransmitter Interactions and Cognitive Function. Birkhäuser, Boston, pp. 165-183.
Journal Publications
Dringenberg, H.C. (2020) The history of long-term potentiation as a memory mechanism: controversies, confirmation, and some important lessons to remember. Hippocampus, 30, 987-1012.
Lo, E.B.L., Laferriere, L.J.C., Stewart, M.R., Milanovic, M., Kinney, M., Bowie, C.R., and Dringenberg, H.C. (2021) Does napping enhance the consolidation of clinically relevant information? A comparison of individuals with low and elevated depressive symptoms. Nature and Science of Sleep, 2021:13 141-152.
Dastgheib, M., Kulanayagam, A., and Dringenberg, H.C. (2022) Is the role of sleep in memory consolidation overrated? Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 140:104799.