My interests in the Mitchell lab include the potential role of long
term facilitation (LTF) in obstructive sleep apnea. By exploring key
molecules in the proposed molecular pathway of LTF, I have found that
BDNF exhibits a circadian rhythm in hypoglossal motor nuclei. This circadian
BDNF rhythm may have important implications for the expression of LTF
in upper airway motor neuron pools, potentially implicating a role for
circadian LTF rhythms in the occurrence of OSA.
