Table 3.

Sleep research priorities.

Question/Priority area	Methodology considerations
BASIC SCIENCE
• Circadian and sleep-related control of gene expression and regulation • Sleep-related regulation of CNS interstitial protein clearance • Restorative function of sleep at the molecular, cellular, and physiological levels	• Application of cutting-edge neuroscience techniques (e.g., optogenetics, CRISPR) to circadian and sleep questions • Refined model systems, including in silico, ex vivo, and in vivo animal models
TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE
• Effect of circadian rhythms and sleep on common therapeutics (e.g., chronopharmacology) • Intersection between sleep/circadian physiology and metabolism at the molecular, cellular, and physiological levels	• Simple, accurate, reliable methods to identify circadian phase and amplitude in intact organisms, including humans • Development of high-throughput assays and methods for examining drug effects in a circadian context • Methods for measuring sleep and circadian-related aspects of CNS interstitial protein clearance and metabolism
CLINICAL AND IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE
• Novel measures to identify the relationship between sleep disorders (sleep apnea, insomnia, restless legs syndrome), sleep treatments, and health outcomes • Dissemination of behavioral sleep interventions • Novel sleep and circadian interventions to improve health and function at the individual, community, and societal levels • Clinical practice guidelines for induction and sustainment of healthy sleep behaviors	• Improved measures of sleep apnea that relate more closely to health and mortality outcomes • Improved methods for simultaneous measurement of sleep and brain function (e.g., functional connectivity and region-of-interest activation) • Refined measures of sleep and circadian rhythms using remote monitoring and passive sensing • Novel delivery methods and systems for behavioral interventions • Incorporation of sleep and circadian rhythms into multiple health behavior change programs • Improved communication between sleep/circadian and lifestyle medicine communities