Speakers

Abstract: Modern optical imaging techniques provide a powerful tool to observe cortical structure and functions with high resolution. Various of skull windows have been established for different applications of cortical imaging, and each has advantages and limitations. Even none of current skull windows can be suitable for observation of the responses to some acute craniocerebral injuries at large scale and high resolution. We developed a “Through-Intact-Skull (TIS) window”, which promises us to observe immune response after traumatic brain injury at bilateral cortical scale and single-cell resolution without affecting the pathological environment of the brain. Meanwhile, TIS window has all advantages of current skull windows, including craniotomy free, centimeter-field of view, synaptic resolution, large imaging depth, long-term observation capability and compatibility for awake mice. Therefore, TIS window will be a promising new approach for intravital cortical microscopy for basic research in neuroscience.

Speaker: Dan Zhu is Distinguished Professor of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, SPIE/OPTICA Fellow, Director of Advanced Biomedical Imaging Facility, Vice-director of Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics. She has been developing tissue optical clearing methods for obtaining in vivo cortical neurovascular structure and function, as well as 3D structure of organs. She has owned more than 200 peer-review papers in Science Advances、Nature Communications、Light: Science & Applications et al, and 100 plenary or invited talk on international conferences, including SPIE Bios Hot Topic. She is an Associate editor of Journal of Biomedical Optics,except executive Editor-in-Chief of Frontier of Optoelectronics：Biomedical Photonics，Editorial Member or Guest Editor of Biomedical Optics Express, Scientific Reports, Journal of Innovative Optical Health Sciences, and Frontier of Optoelectronics etc.

Abstract: Acquiring the three-dimensional (3D) structure of biological tissues is essential for research in life sciences. Modern optical imaging techniques and fluorescent labeling technologies have provided vital tools for obtaining high-resolution information on the 3D structures of biological tissues. However, the turbid nature of biological tissues limits the depth of light penetration, leading to restricted applications for large tissues or whole organs. Tissue optical clearing technology takes a different approach by making the tissues transparent using various physical and chemical strategies to reduce the attenuation of light in tissues, and providing a new approach for the 3D imaging of whole organs. Here, we will introduce our progress in the research of ex vivo tissue optical clearing methods and applications, covering the fluorescence labeling, tissue clearing, and imaging of whole organs, as well as the applications in neuroscience.

Speaker: Tingting Yu is an Associate Researcher at the Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. She is mainly engaged in research on tissue optical clearing methods and applications, focusing on the development of optical imaging techniques based on tissue clearing for obtaining and reconstructing three-dimensional structure information of the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, and other biological tissues. She has published over 30 SCI papers in journals such as Science Advances, Nature Communications, and Theranostics, and has contributed to the compilation of four Chinese and English monographs, with eight authorized patents. She has led projects including the General Project, Young Scientists Fund from NSFC, International Cooperation and Exchanges Projects from NSFC, and Hubei Province's Key R&D Program, as well as participating in Key R&D projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Key International Cooperation Research Projects of NSFC. She is a Young Committee Member and the deputy secretary-general of the Biomedical Optics Professional Committee of the Chinese Optical Society.

Abstract: Chronic insomnia now is the most wide spread sleep disorders. Gold standard for insomnia treatment is cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT-I), but this approach has disadvantages, here is some of them: a small number of specialists and, as a result, the unavailability of CBT-I; in addition, it is too expensive for most patients. The second line of therapy is pharmacotherapy, but due to side effects this approach is limited. Because of these facts it is necessary to investigate new type of treatment of insomnia. The goal of my work was to assess the effec

Speaker: Andrey Golovatyuk work as a neurologist in University clinic of Sechenov University. In 2020 he graduated from the Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University and in the same year has attempt for international sleep research trainee program for 1 year in China, provided by World Sleep Society. In 2022 Andrey Golovatyuk had got the specialty in neurology. Now he conducts research in Sechenov University to get his PhD. In 2026 he has got the second specialty on functional diagnostic. Also he regularly participating in conferences provided by Russian society of Sleep Medicine.

Abstract: Laboratory analysis of behavioral and physiological data on rhythmic deep diaphragmatic breathing (DB) upon presentation of sound 6 times/min. The experiments were conducted before and after training at home (the data from these workouts were not analyzed). The study involved 17 subjects (9 women). Registration of four experiments: 1) Background (20 min.) with spontaneous breathing and pressing the button + 5 minutes with DB (sound 6 times/min); 2) 5 minutes background with spontaneous breathing and pressing the button and 15 minutes with sound 6 times/min, DB when pressing the button, when pressing stops - breathing as in a dream; 3) 5 minutes background with a button and 30 minutes with a sound 6 times/min, DB and spontaneous breathing as in the previous experiment; 4) background (20 min.) with spontaneous breathing and pressing a button. In all experiments, pressing a button, 20 EEG channels, an electrocardiogram (ECG), and abdominal breathing were recorded. For experiments 2 and 3, statistical analysis was performed: the number of falls asleep according to the button analysis, EEG power in the alpha and delta ranges, ECG heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV). In experiment 3, compared with experiment 2, a statistically significant increase in the duration and frequency of falling asleep was shown, the power of the alpha rhythm significantly decreased when falling asleep in experiments 2 and 3, the power of the delta rhythm significantly increased when falling asleep in experiments 2 and 3. HR significantly decreased in three conditions: background – DB – sleep, HRV increased insignificantly only in DB. .

Speaker: Chief Researcher of the Laboratory of Sleep/Wake Neurobilogy of Institute of Higher Nervous Activity & Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Moscow, Russia. He graduated from the Department of Higher Nervous Activity, Moscow State University, biological faculty, qualifying as a physiologist. Received a Doctor of Science degree in 2008. Member of dissertation committee of Institute of Higher Nervous Activity & Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Physiology) and Higher School of Economics? Moscow, Russia. He is member of the European Sleep Research Society. He is author more than 400 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, from them 200 publications in bases Web of Sciences and Scopus.

Abstract: Frailty is a multidimensional geriatric syndrome characterized by decreased physiological reserve, increased vulnerability to stressors, and a higher risk of adverse health outcomes. Accumulating evidence indicates that sleep disturbances are consistently associated with frailty in older adults. The scoping review linked to DOI 10.1186/s12877-024-05049-3 summarizes 39 publications on sleep and frailty and concludes that poor sleep quality, insomnia symptoms, and disturbed sleep are repeatedly associated with both frailty and pre-frailty, while the association with sleep duration appears less consistent than the association with sleep quality.

Available epidemiological data support a robust relationship between disturbed sleep and frailty. In the review literature, poor sleep quality is more consistently associated with frailty than sleep duration alone, and longitudinal findings suggest that sleep disturbances may precede frailty onset and progression. Recent systematic reviews also report that both short and long sleep duration are associated with higher frailty prevalence, although effect sizes vary across studies and measurement approaches.

Current evidence supports a bidirectional relationship between sleep and frailty. Poor sleep may accelerate frailty through inflammation, circadian disruption, muscle loss, and endocrine dysregulation; conversely, frailty itself may worsen sleep through multimorbidity, reduced physical activity, nocturnal symptoms, and impaired physiological adaptation. The strongest and most consistent clinical signal appears to come from sleep quality, especially insomnia symptoms and fragmented or non-restorative sleep, rather than from sleep duration alone.

Sleep disturbances should be considered not merely a comorbidity of aging, but a potentially modifiable component of frailty pathogenesis. The most plausible shared mechanisms include chronic inflammation, circadian rhythm disruption, sarcopenia-related muscle decline, and neuroendocrine imbalance. These findings support the idea that screening and improving sleep quality may become an important strategy for frailty prevention and management in older adults.

Keywords: frailty, sleep, insomnia, sleep quality, circadian rhythm, inflammation, sarcopenia, older adults

Reference: Komleva Y, Gollasch M, König M. Nocturia and frailty in older adults: a scoping review. BMC Geriatr. 2024 Jun 6;24(1):498. doi: 10.1186/s12877-024-05049-3. PMID: 38844878; PMCID: PMC11155172.

Speaker: Yulia K. Komleva is a Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences and a leading researcher in neuroinflammation, molecular neuroscience, and aging. She holds senior positions at the Brain Institute (Russian Center of Neurology and Neurosciences) and Bauman Moscow State Technical University. Her work, supported by grants, focuses on the understanding of molecular mechanisms of neuroinflammation and their role in cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration. The novel mechanisms involving inflammasomes in brain aging and developed an integrative, systems-level approach to studying age-related cognitive decline using experimental and translational models have been identified. The research has substantially contributed to elucidating the role of inflammatory and systemic metabolic dysregulation in both physiological and accelerated aging. Yulia Komleva is a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Medal of the Russian Academy of Sciences for young scientists in biomedical sciences (2024), the Gerhard Domagk Award for Promising Young Scientists (Germany, 2023).

Abstract: The 21st century has been heralded as a golden age in neuroscience. High-tech equipment has emerged for intravital imaging of brain structures and control of brain function using chips, light, and viruses. However, advances in pharmacological treatment of brain diseases are very limited due to difficulties in crossing the blood-brain barrier. Consequently, brain diseases still account for 30% of all known pathologies.
Photobiomodulation (PBM), which relies on non-invasive application of infrared light to targets such as the meningeal lymphatic vessels, offers promising new approaches to brain disease therapy. PBM technologies are safe, commercially viable, and portable.
Within Russian Science Foundation mega-grant 23-75-30001, the world's first medical light device (the AS-SGMO) was developed for stimulation of the brain and its meninges to lymphatic removal of toxins, such as beta-amyloid, from brain tissue and treat Alzheimer's disease. This technology was developed in accordance with modern medical requirements. Specifically, it is wearable and can be used both in the clinic for patient treatment and also at home, on airplanes, in the car, and in other comfortable settings to maintain brain function under conditions of intense work, emotional strain, stress, sleep deprivation, and age-related changes in the brain—i.e., in those at risk for dementia and other brain diseases.
This new field, called neurolymphotonics (doi:10.7150/thno.120374), reflects global changes in preventive medicine. Safe and wearable technologies are emerging that can be effectively used to maintain active brain function under conditions of chronic or excessive exposure to risk factors for neurodegenerative, metabolic, and age-related changes in the brain, with the goal of supporting active longevity.
An important continuation of mega-grant 23-75-3001 will be the development of a safe technology for the treatment of postnatal brain injury in newborns and infants, for whom pharmacological therapy is limited not only by the presence of the blood-brain barrier but also by age.

Speaker: Oxana Semyachkina-Glushkovskaya is the head of Chair of Physiology of Human and Animals at the Department of Biology in the Saratov State University (Russia) and she is Deputy Director for the Commercialization of Scientific Research at the Scientific Medical Center in the Saratov State University. Her research interests are focused in neuroscience and in the development of breakthrough technologies for non-invasive therapy of brain diseases, brain drug delivery and monitoring of the immune system of the brain. She published several pioneering works discovering the promising strategies in rehabilitation medicine based on the application of the new generation lasers for stimulation of lymphatic clearance of toxins and wastes from the sleeping brain: lymphasleep.com/publications2

Keywords: medical equipment, commercialization, applied and fundamental grants.

Acknowledgments: The research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 23-75-30001.

Abstract: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common condition seen by neurologists, movement disorders specialists, and somnologists. The pathophysiology of RLS is not fully understood, making treatment for this condition ineffective. Before initiating treatment, patients undergo laboratory testing for ferritin or transferrin saturation. If iron deficiency is detected (ferritin level < 75 μg/dL and transferrin saturation < 20%), patients are prescribed iron replacement therapy. Symptom relief medications are also prescribed. These include alpha-2-delta ligands (pregabalin, gabapentin) and dopamine receptor agonists. However, the therapeutic effect of drug therapy for at least one year remains insufficient. This is due to the natural progression of RLS and, in the case of long-term use of dopaminergic drugs, augmentation (a paradoxical increase in symptoms with increasing drug dose). Therefore, the search for additional treatment methods, including non-drug ones, is relevant. Non-pharmacological treatments for RLS are discussed: pneumatic compression, direct current electrical stimulation of the spinal cord, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and deep brain stimulation. These methods influence the afferent pathways through which nerve impulses spread from peripheral receptors to the central nervous system. The effectiveness of these methods was assessed using the International RLS study group severity scale. It has been demonstrated that in mild cases of the syndrome, these methods can significantly alleviate symptoms without drug therapy. However, in severe cases, non-pharmacological treatment can only be used as an adjunctive therapy, with drug therapy remaining the primary method of symptom management.

Keywords: restless legs syndrome, pathogenetic treatment, afferent therapy

Speaker: MD, PhD, neurologist at the Sleep Medicine Department at Clinical Hospital No. 3 of I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

Provides outpatient care in the following areas:

• Sleep-related movement disorders (restless legs syndrome, bruxism);
• Insomnia;
• Excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia);
• Parasomnias (sleepwalking, night terrors, nightmares, etc.);
• Snoring and Sleep Related Breathing Disorders;

Professions: Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I).

Education:

• Higher education: Faculty of General Medicine, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Sechenov University), qualification: physician;
• Clinical residency in the Department of Nervous System Diseases, Institute of Professional Education for Physicians, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University.
• Postgraduate study at the Department of Nervous System Diseases and Neurosurgery, Institute of Clinical Medicine, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University;
• Author of 15 publications in medical journals.
• Secretary of the Russian Society of Sleep Medicine.

Abstract: Sleep apnea (SA) can negatively affect adolescents’ cognitive functioning. There are main pathogenetic mechanisms of SA such as hypoxic burden and altered sleep homeostasis that could initiate brain damage. It is known that obesity aggravates cognitive changes in SA. Thus, it is of particular interest to evaluate the cognitive functions and their associations with polysomnographic (PSG) variables in SA adolescents. Fifty-five SA male adolescents aged 15-17 years (35 obese and 20 normal weights, NW) and 20 matched controls were included in the study. Wechsler intelligence test (WISC-IV) was used to evaluate the participants’ cognition. Spearman rank correlation analysis was performed to investigate the relationships between cognitive abilities against PSG variables. The PSG data showed that apnea/hypopnea index, desaturation index, arousal index, 1-2 stages, fragmentation index scores were significantly higher, while slow wave sleep and rapid eye movements time were significantly lower in adolescents with SA compared with controls. There was a tendency to higher SA severity in boys with obesity. Full-scale cognitive ability quotient (FSCAQ), visual-spatial index, fluid reasoning index, working memory index, and processing speed index (PSI) scores were significantly lower for SA obese boys. NW SA adolescents had significantly lower FSCAQ and PSI scores compared with those in controls. Significant correlations were found between verbal/nonverbal indexes and PSG variables in obese boys only. The study demonstrates that the cognitive status in adolescents with SA decreases with a predominant deterioration of nonverbal abilities. This trend is most clearly manifested with obesity, which aggravates both hypoxia and sleep fragmentation severities.

Speaker: Liubov V. Rychkova, ScD, prof., RAS corresponding member, is a Director of the «Scientific Center for Family Health and Human Reproduction Problems» (SC FHHRP), Irkutsk, Russia; Professor of the Basic Department of Medical Psychology of the SC FHHRP and the Irkutsk State University, Secretary of the Commission of the Scientific Council for Pediatrics of the Section of Clinical Medicine of the Department of Medical Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, President of the Irkutsk Regional Branch of the Union of Pediatricians of Russia, Head of the Irkutsk Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Education, Member of the Association of Medical and Pharmaceutical Workers of the Irkutsk Region, Chairman of the Commission on Science and Education of the Irkutsk Region Public Chamber of the VIII convocation, Member of the Board of the Public Council under the Ministry of Health of the Irkutsk Region, Member of the Coordinating Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy of Education "Health and Education of Children, Adolescents, and Youth", Member of the Expert Council on Demographic Development in the Irkutsk Region under the Legislative Assembly of the Irkutsk Region. Rychkova L.V. is a Deputy Editor-in-Chief of journal «Acta Biomedica Scientifica» (Scopus). She obtained her Ph.D. (1997) and D.Sc. (2004) in pediatrics and pathophysiology. The main focus of her research interests is the study of fundamental mechanisms of childhood disease development as a basis for the development of new diagnostic, treatment, and rehabilitation technologies. Rychkova L.V. is scientific supervision of 11 scientific theses. She is author more than 670 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, from them 396 publications in bases Web of Sciences and Scopus, 15 monographs, 7 methodical recommendations, and 39 protected intellectual property rights.

Abstract: Over the last decades, accumulating evidence has documented the burden of sleep disorders on individuals and society. Sleep disorders are highly prevalent in children and adults, resulting in compromised wake functioning and behavioral dysregulation. Iron deficiency (ID) has received increasing attention in disorders affecting sleep. Proposed mechanisms are derived from iron's central role in the brain as a co-factor in neurotransmitter synthesis, as well as in myelination and oxygen delivery. ID in humans and animals can lead to damage of diffuse brain structures, including the hippocampus, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. Emerging and evolving technologies that impact the practice of sleep medicine will be discovered.

Speaker: Alexander Kalinkin, Head of Sleep Medicine Centre of Moscow State University (www.sleeplab.ru). A graduate of Sechenov University (Moscow), certified as a cardiologist, and received his MD in Medical Centre of presidential affairs department. A board member of Russian Sleep Research Society, Russian Neuro-Muscular Diseases Society, member of American Academy of Sleep Medicine, European Sleep Research Society (ESRS). Alexander Kalinkin is first expert of ESRS in Russia. The main research activities are related to sleep breathing disorders, insomnia, RLS, arterial hypertension, iron metabolism and hypoxia. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and chapters in textbooks on sleep medicine. Alexander Kalinkin is a Head of sleep medicine course and mentor of scientific work on sleep medicine in Moscow State University. Alexander Kalinkin is a founder of International Sleep Forum (www.sleepforum.ru).

Abstract: Sleep and dreams occupy a special place in folklore. First of all, they appear in folklore texts: the heroes of fairy tales and epics fall asleep under the influence of magic and have prophetic dreams that help them meet danger or perform a feat. The motif of a prophetic dream or a kind of dream guidance on the border between sleep and reality is often found in folklore prose. The result of such a dream is the discovery of a place to build a city, the finding of a treasure, the search for lost livestock, etc. Sometimes, sleeping in a special place (at a spring, a roadside cross, an abandoned bathhouse, etc.) allows a person to come into contact with certain sacred forces. A special group consists of dreams in which deceased relatives act. In these dreams, they communicate with the living, give them some tasks, and help them find lost items. Divination, where the diviner must receive an answer to a question in a dream, is also extremely popular in Russian tradition. A significant group of texts is related to stories about fainting, visions that a person experiencing lethargic sleep sees. Of course, a special place is occupied by spells and non-verbal magic aimed at ensuring a good night's sleep for adults and children. Finally, there is a special group of dream interpretations that exist both in oral and written form.

Speaker: Varvara Dobrovolskaya is a Russian folklorist, fairy-tale scholar, Ph.D. of Philology; a specialist in the study of folk mythological signs and beliefs; Head of folklore and ethnographic department of the Center of Russian Folklore; Associate Professor of the Department of General and Slavic Art Studies Institute of Slavic Culture of the Russian State University named by A. Kosygin; a member of the editorial board of the scientific almanac "Traditional Culture"; a member of the Ethnographic Commission of the Russian Geographical Society. He is the author of more than 250 works on folklore and traditional culture.

Abstract: Insomnia is one of the most common medical problems in modern humanity, significantly impairing quality of life. Its prevalence, according to some estimates, reaches 45%. Cognitive behavioral therapy, although not universally available, and medications are successfully used for treatment, which in turn create a number of problems, including the development of dependence or tolerance to sleeping pills. Several hypotheses for the development of insomnia have been proposed, the most significant of which is the hyperactivation model, associated with increased nervous system tone both during wakefulness and sleep. Increased brain activity during sleep can be recorded using electroencephalography, either as a standalone technique or as part of polysomnography. In cases of insomnia with hyperactivation, the EEG records a number of electrophysiological phenomena characteristic of wakefulness, not sleep. Identifying such signs can form the basis for a treatment approach that does not target GABA or histamine receptors, but rather directly affects orexin receptors.

Speaker: Mikhail Tardov is a professor in the Department of General Medical Practice at Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, where he teaches neurology and the fundamentals of somnology, supervises dissertation research (he has supervised nine dissertations), and also works clinically as a neurologist and somnologist. He graduated from the N.A. Semashko Medical Institute in 1986, defended his PhD dissertation in 1998 (on the diagnosis of brain death), and defended his doctoral dissertation in 2009 (on cerebral blood flow in gestosis). He regularly publishes issues on neurological and sleep disorders in the “S.S. Korsakov Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry”, “Effective Pharmacotherapy” and other. Author of more than 120 publications in Russian and foreign journals, 1 monograph in Russian, co-author of 6 monographs.

Abstract: Volumetric imaging of synaptic transmission and microcirculations in the brain in vivo requires high spatial and high temporal resolution. Shaping the wavefront of two-photon fluorescence excitation light, we developed Bessel-droplet foci for high-contrast and high-resolution volumetric imaging of synapses. Applying our method to imaging glutamate release, we demonstrated high-throughput mapping of excitatory inputs at > 1,000 synapses per volume and > 500 dendritic spines per neuron in vivo and unveiled novel features of functional synaptic organization in the mouse primary visual cortex. We also achieved high-resolution volumetric imaging of lymphatic microcirculations in mouse brain in vivo.

Speaker: Wei Chen is a Professor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology and a core member of the Advanced Biomedical Imaging Facility. His research focuses on the development of high-performance optical imaging technologies for neuroscience, with particular emphasis on in vivo, high-resolution, and high-sensitivity imaging of brain structure and function at subcellular details. Prof. Chen’s work integrates optical engineering, computational imaging, and machine learning to overcome key challenges in deep-tissue imaging, such as optical aberration and low signal-to-noise ratio. Prof. Chen has published over 40 peer-reviewed papers in leading journals such as Nature Methods, Nature Neuroscience, Nature Communications, and Cell Metabolism, and has served as a reviewer for top-tier journals including Nature Photonics, Nature Communications, and Optica. He is a recipient of the National Natural Science Foundation of China Excellent Young Scientists Fund. His research aims to advance next-generation neuroimaging tools for uncovering the spatiotemporal organization of neural circuits and their roles in brain function and behavior.

Abstract: Cardiorespiratory monitoring is a simple and convenient way to diagnose sleep- disordered breathing, performed at home. In practice, physicians often encounter technical limitations in the parameters recorded. This talk examines the most common errors made during cardiorespiratory monitoring and how to resolve them.

Speaker: Alexey Katyshev works as a neurologist and somnologist at the Invitro Clinic in Moscow. He graduated from Volgograd State Medical University in 2013. He has been diagnosing and treating sleep disorders since 2016. He is a member of the Russian Society of Somnologists. He maintains his own blog.

Abstract: Brain science is currently a highly challenging research hotspot, and in vivo brain function observation in living animals is critical to its advancement. As a non-invasive functional imaging modality, positron emission tomography (PET) offers unique advantages in such applications. However, conventional animal PET imaging requires the subject to be anesthetized or restrained, resulting in a non-awake or non-free-moving state; the observed outcomes therefore do not reflect the normal state of brain function. Meanwhile, brain function is dynamically changing, and existing animal PET systems cannot simultaneously achieve satisfactory temporal resolution and image quality, making it difficult to meet the demands of dynamic brain function observation. We have developed a “Bi-Dynamic” PET instrument capable of dynamic imaging in awake and freely moving animals, enabling high-temporal-resolution and high-spatial-resolution dynamic imaging of the rat brain.

Speaker: Dr. Peng Xiao is a professor at Huazhong University of science and technology (HUST). He obtained his PhD degree from the National University of Singapore (NUS). After working two years in the R&D Department STMicroelectronics Asia, Dr. Xiao joined HUST to pursue his academic career in 2006. He has been actively working in innovative reconstruction algorithms and instrumentation development for Positron Emission Tomography, as well as its applications in biology and medicine. He has owned more than 70 papers in journals including Physics in Medicine and Biology, IEEE Transactions on Radiation and Plasma Medical Sciences, and Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine. He is also a co-founder of RaySolution Medical Imaging Technology Co., Ltd., which commercializes the “all-digital PET” technology.

Abstract: Metabolic plasticity fundamentally regulates the sleep-wake cycle, with lactate serving as both a key energy substrate and signaling molecule. Cerebral lactate rises during wakefulness and REM sleep but declines in NREM sleep. Recent evidence links impaired NAD+ metabolism to Parkinson's disease, where reduced levels in dopaminergic neurons compromise ATP production. Pro-inflammatory signals trigger Warburg-like glycolysis, elevating lactate. Beyond energy metabolism, lactate regulates gene expression, Ca²⁺ signaling, cell differentiation, and myelination. Astrocytes are the primary lactate producers, supporting neurons via monocarboxylate transporters and the lactate receptor GPR81, whose CNS functions remain incompletely understood. In Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, chronic disruption of lactate metabolism impairs astrocyte-neuron coupling, causing synaptic energy deficits and hindering sleep-dependent memory consolidation. Abnormal lactate dynamics also mark glymphatic dysfunction: sleep loss reduces clearance of lactate, β-amyloid, and tau, fostering neuroinflammation and cognitive decline. Clinically, lactate holds promise as a biomarker for early detection of sleep-related disorders. Non-invasive magnetic resonance spectroscopy enables real-time metabolite monitoring. Therapeutic strategies targeting sleep normalization, lactate metabolism modulation, and GPR81 signaling may optimize glymphatic clearance and mitigate neurodegeneration, paving the way for personalized interventions in sleep-associated cognitive disorders.

Speaker: Nataliya Kolotyeva, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor. Head of the Laboratory of Experimental and Translational Neurochemistry at the Brain Institute of the Russian Center of Neurology and Neurosciences; Professor of the Chair of Biological Chemistry at the Russian University of Medicine; Professor of the Chair of Biomedical Technical Systems at the Bauman Moscow State Technical University. Her research interests focus on studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms of metabolic plasticity in the neurovascular unit in age-related neurodegenerative diseases, modeling neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation using primary brain cell cultures, as well as on investigating the role of redox homeostasis imbalance, aberrant lactate and NAD⁺ metabolism in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The research focuses particularly on developing optimized methods for the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases based on the detection of proteins with aberrant conformation and on creating digital twins of cellular systems for microfluidic platforms.
She is the author and co-author of articles in peer-reviewed international journals in the fields of neurochemistry, molecular medicine, and biomedical technologies. She lectures and conducts practical sessions on biochemistry, molecular medicine, and regenerative medicine, serving as a research advisor to graduate students.
As a leader and executor, she participates in scientific projects aimed at studying the mechanisms of neurodegeneration, developing innovative diagnostic approaches, and implementing interdisciplinary solutions at the intersection of neuroscience, biochemistry, and engineering.

Abstract: The information flow in PET spans six main levels: gamma photons, scintillation photons, scintillation pulses, single events, coincidence events, and images. The essence of PET digitalization lies in advancing the computation origin, leading to characteristics of full decoupling, full digitalization, and full data accessibility. These features bring both opportunities and challenges to PET imaging computation. Based on her academic and research experience, the speaker will explore the topic of a Plug-n-Image-Based Computing Architecture, illustrating how top-level design can decouple the entire workflow from particle detection to imaging, integrate diverse heterogeneous computing resources to meet different computational requirements, and build an innovative, modular platform. This platform enables researchers to flexibly assemble intelligent detection and imaging systems, perform intelligent full-process data analysis, and rapidly conduct clinical and preclinical studies.

Speaker: Professor, School of Software Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, PhD in Computer Application. Her research interests lie in rendering and imaging algorithms, as well as software engineering. She is dedicated to build the Plug-n-Image technology system to support the rapid development and innovative applications of detection and imaging systems. She is the author of The Art of Functional Programming and has published more than 40 academic papers.

Abstract: A prospective randomized study of photobiostimulation of the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease is being conducted on the basis of the Sechenov University Clinic of Nervous Diseases. During the study, patients are given PET\CT with 18F-FDG at the outpatient stage, followed by neurocognitive testing, EEG on the first day of hospitalization. For 10 days, patients receive photostimulation therapy for 30 minutes a day in a preset mode. After the therapy, the neurocognitive status, EEG, and PET are re-evaluated.\CT scan with 18F-FDG. According to preliminary data, patients showed a statistically significant improvement during neurocognitive tests, an increase in the amplitudes of EEG activity in the temporal and parietal lobes, and an increase in glucose metabolism during repeated PET\CT scan with 18F-FDG.

Speaker: Vladislav Sursaev works as a MD at the Department of Nervous Diseases at Sechenov University in Moscow. In 2021 he graduated from the Medical University by I.M. Sechenov, then specialized in neurology. He is currently conducting research as part of his PhD thesis on ‘The impact of sleep disturbances on cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease: a clinical and neurophysiological study’. He is the author and co-author of articles in journals such as the «S.S. Korsakov Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry» and «Effective Pharmacotherapy».

Abstract: Recent studies have convincingly demonstrated the role of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in accelerating the aging process. These studies have also identified a new mechanism of action for proteins related to aging and age-related diseases. To further investigate this hypothesis, we evaluated the levels of the anti-aging protein klotho in patients with OSA and its relationship to sleep parameters. Materials and Methods: The study involved 29 male participants with a diagnosis of OSA of moderate severity at the Irkutsk Somnological Center. They formed the main group (OH) with a median age less than 45 years (38.5, 53). The control group (KG) included 20 healthy volunteers without OSA symptoms, matched for age (median 43.8, range 36-58). All participants provided informed consent to participate.. Standard polysomnography, enzyme immunoassay using a Chem Well device (USA) with a SEH757Hu commercial kit (Cloud-Clone Corp., USA) and statistical analysis were employed. All differences were considered significant at p<0.05 using the Mann-Whitney U-test. A Spirman correlation` coefficient was used for the correlation analysis. Results: The klotho protein level was 217 pg/ml (156-459) in exhaust gas and 272.5 pg/ml (210-459) in KG, with p<0.012. Correlation analysis demonstrated a positive linear relationship between klotho and sleep parameters such as deep sleep (3NREM) (r=5980, p=0.001) and REM sleep (r=4281, p=0.21), as well as a negative correlation with the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as measured by the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and the desaturation index (DI) (r=-0.7603, p=<0.000; r=- 0.4601, p=0.12). Conclusion: Our findings support the hypothesis that there is a decrease in klotho anti-aging levels in patients with OSA. This may contribute to premature aging.. The study revealed a positive correlation between the klotho protein and indicators of sleep patterns, as well as a negative relationship between this protein and the main trigger mechanism of intermittent hypoxia. This suggests that OSA can influence the processes of early and accelerated cellular aging.

Speaker: Irina M. Madaeva, MD, PhD, is a Head of Irkutsk Somnological center, chief researcher of somnological and neurophysiological department of Federal State Public «Scientific Center for Family Health and Human Reproduction Problems», Irkutsk , Russia. She obtained her Ph.D. (1994) and D.Sc. (2009) in sleep medicine. Research interests include relationship between aging and sleep, modifying factors of sleep disorders, molecular mechanisms of sleep disorders, melatonin circadian rhythms, ethnic aspects of sleep disorders. Madaeva I.M. is scientific supervision of 7 scientific theses. She is member of World Association of Sleep Medicine. She is the Heard of Scientific Committee of Russian Society of Sleep Medicine . She is author more than 200 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, from them 162 publications in bases Web of Sciences and Scopus, Q 1-2.

Abstract: Naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber) are among the most enigmatic land mammals. They live in large colonies, each of which has only one continuously reproducing female (the "queen") of enormous size, who is fertilized by one or more males. In other (worker) individuals, secondary sexual characteristics are reduced, and sex is determined only by genotyping. Mole rats do not get sick, do not age, have a very long lifespan, are resistant to hypoxia and hypercapnia, etc., and therefore attract the keen interest of representatives of a wide range of sciences. We have shown [Kovalzon et al. // J. Evol. Biochem. Physiol., 2020, 56(5):451–458] that workers are heterothermic mammals. They maintain a body temperature of 33–34°C during daily periods of rest, whereas during periods of activity, it drops almost to the ambient temperature. Apparently, in this way they manage to avoid overheating in the stuffy (8-15% O2) underground labyrinths of the African Horn, where they live. The sleep structure of naked mole rats is quite original and resembles that characteristic of the early stages of ontogenesis of immature mammals [Kovalzon et al. // Dokl. Biol. Sci., 2021, 496(1):25-29], confirming the hypothesis that the main feature of the naked mole rats' organism is neoteny, i.e., the preservation of juvenile traits in adulthood [Skulachev et al. // Physiol. Rev. 2017, 97:699–720]. We further showed that enrichment of an artificial colony of naked mole rats with physical activity under conditions of relative hyperoxia (25% O2) is a critical factor leading to the death of workers [Adrianov. et al. // Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top., 2025, doi:10.1140/epjs/s11734-025-02100-1]. It was recently discovered [Chen et al. // Science, 2025, 390(6769):eadp5056] that the extraordinary lifespan of these animals and their resistance to cancer are associated with four C-terminal substitutions in the cGAS protein, which ensures efficient DNA repair.

Speaker: Kovalzon Vladimir Matveevich, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Principal Researcher at the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Somnology Section of the Pavlov Physiological Society, Chairman of the Board of the National Somnological Society, Honorary Member of the European (ESRS) and American (SRS/USA) Sleep Research Societies, expert of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He graduated from the Department of Human and Animal Physiology, Biological Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University. He has been engaged in experimental sleep research since 1967. He completed fellowships at the Universities of Hungary (Szeged) and France (Lyon, laboratory of Prof. Michel Jouvet). He is a participant in dozens of international conferences. He is an author of 200 journal articles and monographs (in Russian) "Fundamentals of Somnology" (2011) and "Neurobiology of Wakefulness and Sleep" (2024).

Abstract: Chronic stress plays a significant role in the development of arterial hypertension (AH), being a significant modifiable cardiovascular risk factor and a target for intervention. Chronic stress, in turn, often causes sleep disturbances. Psychoemotional disturbances in the early stages of AH may reflect not only vascular damage to the brain but also be a manifestation of stress-related neuroinflammatory processes in the hippocampus. Impaired glymphatic clearance is a key link between stress, inflammation, and brain dysfunction. The modern model of metabolite removal from the central nervous system or the “lymphatic drainage system of the brain” is represented by the functionally interconnected glymphatic system and meningeal lymphatic vessels. Despite a clear understanding of the general anatomy, the role of the "lymphatic drainage system of the brain" in the context of cerebroprotection remains poorly understood.
The purpose of my presentation is to provide an overview of the accumulated research findings on the relationship between chronic stress, hypertension, sleep disorders, and the role of glymphatic dysfunction as a key factor in the development of these diseases.
The report will examine the main mechanisms of impaired glymphatic clearance: neuroendocrine (hypercortisolemia and astrocyte atrophy), vascular (endothelial dysfunction, reduction of arterial pulsation and increased arterial stiffening), and inflammatory (microglial activation and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines). Special attention is paid to the formation of three self-perpetuating vicious cycles: «stress → impaired glymphatic clearance → hippocampal damage → increased stress»; «AH → reduction of arterial pulsation → glymphatic dysfunction → AH progresses»; and «insomnia → toxin accumulation → locus coeruleus damage → aggravation of sleep disorders».
Photobiomodulation, a non-invasive treatment using red and infrared light, is considered a promising therapeutic approach. Results from pilot clinical trials have now been published, confirming the positive impact of this therapy on cognitive function, emotional status, and sleep quality. Accumulated research data indicates the potential and innovative nature of photobiomodulation in the comprehensive treatment of a number of conditions and may be useful in the treatment of sleep disorders, AH and chronic stress.

Speaker: Liudmila Yakubova - Head of general practitioner and policlinic therapy department in Grodno State Medical University, Professor, MD, PhD. Author of more than 350 publications. Profiles and identifiers: ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7632-9695

Qualification:

• awarded the degree of PhD 2007,
• By the decision of the Presidium of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Republic of Belarus, he was awarded the academic title of Associate Professor in 2011,
• By the decision of the Presidium of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Republic of Belarus, the degree of Doctor of Medical Sciences was awarded in 2020,he was awarded the academic title of professor in 2021.

I had been the leader or scientific performer of several funded research projects: "Develop and implement a method for the treatment of coronary heart disease and osteoporosis by influencing the general mechanisms of their development", (2011-2013).

“To develop and implement a new method of secondary prevention and treatment of lesions of the cardiovascular system in case of deficiency /vitamin D deficiency in people with arterial hypertension» (2013-2015). "Identification of risk groups for D-vitamin deficiency", (2013-2015).

“Research on the impact of palm oil on the health of the population of the Republic of Belarus and the establishment of acceptable medical and biological levels of palm oil consumption” (2017-2018 ). Grant of the President of the Republic of Belarus (2019) for the development and implementation in general medical practice of recommendations for identifying risk factors, diagnosing and correcting D-hypovitaminosis, the use of which will help increase the primary prevention of vitamin D-associated diseases among residents of the Republic of Belarus.

"To develop new types of chocolate products enriched with protein, calcium and vitamin D, providing an increase in the balance of nutrition of preschool and school children" (2016-2020).

Research work on the project of cross-border cooperation No. RVI 1/0326/16 "Model of the medical program to combat osteoporosis in the Polish-Belarusian border area" (2018-2021).

«Develop and implement a method for assessing the risk of development and progression of atrial fibrillation in patients with arterial hypertension» (2021-2024).

Abstract: Low-level near-infrared light-induced transcranial photobiomodulation (NIR-TPBM) is a promising technology for improving cerebral blood flow and metabolism. However, the effects of NIR-TPBM on the visual pathway’s function remain poorly understood. The aim was to assess the visual pathway’s function changes in response to NIR-TPBM in young, healthy volunteers. Our results on the increase in eye movement coupling after NIR-TPBM, with a high probability, indicate a positive effect on the functional connectivity of neural networks, which opens up broad prospects for its use in various neurological and mental disorders. Finally, although this study demonstrated the effectiveness of NIR-TPBM on visual pathways function, the single application certainly limits the generalizability of these results to clinical settings.

Speaker: Alex O. Trofimov is an Associate Professor at the Department of Neurological Diseases of Privolzhsky Research Medical University in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. He received his MD and PhD degrees in neurosurgery and neurology from the Nizhny Novgorod Medical State Academy in 1998 and 2006, respectively. At various times, he completed fellowships at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the Catholic University of Leuven, King's College London, the University of California, Los Angeles, Sklifosovsky’s Emergency Care Institute of Moscow, and etc.. His current research interests include brain physics, intracranial pressure, cerebral microcirculation, transcranial photobiomodulation, and electrical stimulation. He has published more than 100 journal articles and 5 book chapters. He is a member of ISOTT, AANS, and EANS.

Abstract: Brain plasticity is a phenomenon of brain adaptation to the permanently changing environment. Physiological – developmental or adaptive - neuroplasticity is based on numerous mechanisms like synaptic turnover, synaptic transmission, neurogenesis, metabolic plasticity, cerebral angiogenesis, etc. Aberrant brain plasticity is linked to the development of central nervous system disorders and brain aging. The major manifestations of plasticity alterations are various neurological deficits, including learning and memory impairments.
Mitochondrial activity and dynamics underly plasticity of brain cells either in physiological or pathological conditions. Particularly, changes in the number and quality of mitochondria affect the ability of neurons, glia and cerebral endothelial cells to respond properly to stimuli inducing plastic events. Energy requirements of cells within the neurovascular unit are quite different and depend on the prevalence of glycolytic activity or mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. In general, neuroplasticity is associated with the metabolic reprogramming of brain cells, e.g. switch from mitochondrial energy production to excessive glycolysis in activated microglia, or lactate-supported enhancement of oxidative phosphorylation in neurons within the active neuronal circuits. In adult brain neurogenic niches, changes in the energy production correspond to the intensity of neurogenesis: quiescence of neural stem cells requires extensive glycolysis and fatty acids oxidation whereas recruitment, proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells depend on the contribution of mitochondria to the energy production.
Sleep is known as a powerful regulator of brain plasticity. In general, sleep supports mitochondrial quality control, repair of dsDNA breaks caused by the neuronal activity in the day time, as well as enhanced neurogenesis and memory consolidation. Recent data suggest that all these events might be controlled by mitochondrial activity and dynamics in sleep-regulating neurons and result in the restoration of mitochondria mass and quality in brain cells for the next day activity. Thus, sleep deprivation associates with significant changes in mitochondrial respiration, electron leakage in the electron transport chain, mitochondrial dysfunction, and release of mitochondrial DAMPs into the extracellular space. As a result, brain plasticity is affected due to progression of cellular senescence, disruption of the blood-brain barrier, and development of neuroinflammation.
Deciphering the key mechanisms of aberrant metabolism and blood-brain barrier alterations in sleep deprivation conditions provide novel prospective targets for the pharmacological correction of altered brain plasticity in brain aging and neurodegeneration.

Speaker: Professor Alla B. Salmina, MD, PhD, Dr. Med. Sci., Assoc. Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Head of the Laboratory of Neurobiology and Tissue Engineering, Deputy Director of the Brain Science Institute, Russian Center of Neurology and Neurosciences, Professor of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University (Moscow, Russia). Graduated from the Krasnoyarsk State Medical University in 1992, completed Research Training on Molecular Neurobiology and Biophysics at Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine (Japan, 1993-1994), and Research Training on Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Torino University (Italy, 2000-2001). Area of expertise: Neurobiology, Neurochemistry, Biophysics, Pathophysiology, Molecular & Translational Medicine. Research interests are focused on brain plasticity, molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration and neurodevelopmental disorders, regulation of neurogenesis and cerebral angiogenesis, blood-brain barrier and neurogenic niche in vitro modeling. Founder and leader of the Leading Scientific School of the Russian Federation in the area of Medicine supported within the President’s Program, Awarder of the Award and Gold Medal on Physiology for Young Scientists given by the Russian Academy of Sciences (1999), the Russian Federation State Government Award for Achievements in Science and Technology for young scientists (2011), the Scopus Award Russia (2016). Author of more than 600 papers published in Russian and international journals, incl. Nature, Nature Communications, Translational Neurodegeneration, Journal of Tissue Engineering, Communications Biology, Molecular Neurobiology, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, etc.

Abstract: Since Gelineau's description of narcolepsy's symptoms in 1880, this condition has become one of the most thoroughly studied sleep-wake disorders. The disease develops as a result of autoimmune inflammation of the hypothalamus—diencephalitis. Symptoms of narcolepsy, such as excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy attacks, become evident after the destruction of 90% of the neurons that produce the excitatory neurotransmitter orexin. The excess immune response occurs as a result of an infectious disease, vaccination, or without the evident cause. It most likely occurs in individuals having a specific histocompatibility antigen haplotype, HLA-DQB1*06:02. This trait alone does not fully explain the increased susceptibility to this disease. Other candidates include the human equivalent of the canarc-1 gene for canine narcolepsy and the hcrtr2 gene for the hypocretin/orexin receptor type 2.
Understanding the pathophysiology of narcolepsy leads to the creation of laboratory animals with knockout genes for the orexin receptors type 1 and type 2. They have the same behavioral features of the disease.
Selective destruction of orexin neurons is a unique opportunity to study the role of this neurotransmitter in cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes in humans. Cognitive impairments un narcolepsy affect vigilance, selective attention, sustained attention, and alertness, as well as executive functions such as decision-making. Memory is also impaired. It has been shown that cognitive impairment is not related to the severity of sleepiness but represents a distinct process. Orexin is considered an "activator of activators" for systems involved in cognitive processing. For example, the attention network involves acetylcholine neurons in the basal forebrain ganglia, dopamine neurons in the ventrotegmental area, and noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus. The absence of additional orexin stimulation leads to malfunctioning of these systems.
Cataplexy attacks in narcolepsy patients are known to be more often triggered by positive than negative emotions. The orexin system has been shown to be involved in modulating the activity of dopaminergic ventrotegmental area. This explains the observed underactivation of the amygdala in patients with narcolepsy when presented with negative stimuli and overactivation in response to positive ones. The freezing response, a "false death" reaction that occurs in healthy individuals only to strong negative emotions, occurs in narcolepsy when presented with emotions of the opposite modality. Dysregulation of the dopamine system due to orexin deficiency also explains the phenomenon of narcolepsy patients' lack of dependence on dopaminergic psychostimulants.
Patients with narcolepsy exhibit difficulty making choices in ambiguous situations due to a dysfunction of the fronto-amygdalar reward system due to a lack of orexin stimulation. They do not experience difficulty making choices in risky situations depending from a different fronto-cortico-striatal system, which is less dependent on orexin.
Autonomic disturbances also reflect the orexin dysfunction in narcolepsy. Hypocretin hypothalamic neurons project to the nucleus of the solitary tract and the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve, the rostral ventrolateral medulla, and the lateral columns of the spinal cord.
A defect in orexin transmission leads to impaired sympathetic activation in response to stimuli of various modalities, resulting in insufficient heart rate reaction to stiluli and elevated blood pressure. Orexin dysfunction leads to metabolic disturbances. Weight gain in these patients develops due to decreased sympathetic stimulation of adipose tissue receptors, which mediate lipolytic processes.
Further advances in studying the role of the orexin system in the regulation of higher nervous functions are linked to the analysis of the brain neural networks in narcolepsy. For this purpose, approaches involving sleep microstaging (5-second epochs) and the use of AI engines that process large amounts of neurophysiological data in real time look promising.

Speaker: Mikhail Poluektov works as an associate professor at the Department of Nervous Diseases at Sechenov University in Moscow. He is also the head of the sleep medicine department at the same institution and the acting president of the Russian Society of Somnologists. In 1993 he graduated from the Medical University by I.M. Sechenov, then specialized in neurology. His PhD, received in 1998, was devoted to studying the effect of autonomic neuropathy on sleep-disordered breathing. As an associate professor, Mikhail Poluektov teaches sleep medicine in neurology and general medicine, organizes conferences on somnology, and publishes regular issues on sleep disorders in «S.S. Korsakov Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry» and «Effective pharmacotherapy». Serves as a reviewer editor in «Frontiers in Psychiatry», «Frontiers in Neurology». Author of more than 250 publications in Russian and foreign journals, 5 monographs in Russian, 3 popular books about sleep.