Description

Please join us for our next webinar with Dr. Elena Galkina, Ph.D., F.A.H.A, Professor at Old Dominion University. The title of her talk is "Sleep, Immunity, and Atherosclerosis." Abstract: Sleep fragmentation is increasingly recognized as an important contributor to cardiovascular risk, yet the mechanisms linking disrupted sleep to vascular inflammation remain incompletely understood. Emerging evidence indicates that chronic sleep disruption reshapes innate immune responses, particularly myeloid-cell activity, and promotes inflammatory processes relevant to atherosclerosis. Experimental studies in atherosclerosis-prone mouse models demonstrate that sleep fragmentation enhances myeloid-cell activation and alters immune communication among the circulation, intestine, and vascular wall. Current work further investigates the context-dependent role of STAT4, an immune transcription factor that regulates neutrophil function, in coordinating inflammatory and protective responses during chronic sleep disruption. These studies aim to define how sleep-associated immune dysregulation contributes to cardiovascular inflammation and disease progression.