Welcome to the Chick Lab! Our research examines the mechanistic contributions of sleep, cognition and affect to the onset and course of psychiatric disorders across the lifespan. We are particularly interested in adolescence as a period during which changes in circadian rhythm, sleep architecture, and sleep behavior co-occur with neuroendocrine development, psychosocial changes, and the onset of many psychiatric disorders. Given that sleep is a highly treatable target, increasing our understanding of the specific contributions of sleep to psychiatric symptom onset may facilitate the development of targeted interventions to mitigate the course of illness. Much of our current work focuses on understanding factors, including sleep and cognitive function, that contribute to suicidal ideation and behavior. If you are interested in participating in our research, please check out our currently recruiting studies here: Currently Recruiting Studies.
