Carmen Varela of FAU has received funding from the Alzheimer’s Association’s Research Fellowship to Promote Diversity to investigate the relationship between sleep and memory. By studying sleeping rats, Varela hopes to better understand sleep disruptions and their impact on memory and the development of Alzheimer’s.

“Sleep patterns are relatively easy to monitor non-invasively, as compared to blood tests or brain imaging, which are often used in these disorders,” Varela said. “If you can track sleep, then you have a way to monitor the progression of the disease at home, on a daily basis.”

• Carmen Varela