Sarah Conklin, Ph.D.

Recent Happenings in the Lab

2011-03-09T05:57:00.000-08:00

Results of one of my summer research projects with a group of students here at Allegheny College, was recently published in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. Our data suggest that sleeping for up to an hour during the day could facilitate cardiovascular recovery after mental stress.

Our study, examined the effect of a daytime nap on cardiovascular recovery following a stress test. We found that participants who slept for at least 45 minutes during the day had lower average blood pressure after psychological stress than those who did not sleep.

Long work schedules, shift work, increased anxiety and a greater use of the internet and television late at night - all characteristics of our modern society - have had an impact on nocturnal sleep. We no longer sleep as long as we used to: The average sleep duration is now almost 2 hours shorter per night than it was 50 years ago. And this could be impacting our long-term health. For example, sleeping less has been linked to an increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular problems generally.

In our paper we examined how daytime sleep might influence cardiovascular recovery after a mental stress test in the laboratory. We split 85 healthy college students into two groups: One group was allotted a 60-minute interval during the day when they had the opportunity to sleep; the other group did not sleep during the day. We asked the participants to complete a cardiovascular reactivity task, involving a complex mental subtracting exercise which has been used in research before. Our research group measured the students' blood pressure and pulse rates at regular intervals throughout the experiment.

We found that daytime sleep seemed to have a restorative effect with participants in the sleep condition reporting lower scores of sleepiness than those who did not sleep and those who had napped had significantly lower average blood pressure readings than those who had not slept. Our findings suggest that daytime sleep may offer cardiovascular benefit by accelerating cardiovascular recovery following mental stressors.

Allegheny students who are interested in sleep and health research should discuss these opportunities with Dr. Conklin! A number of follow-up studies are in the works.

Gator Glory in the Lab

2010-04-28T06:13:00.001-07:00

Ryan Brindle '12, Leonard Costantini '10, David Domachowski '11, Annie Ginty '09, Catherine Vance '11 and Professor Sarah Conklin all presented their recent research at the American Psychosomatic Society's national conference held March 10-13 in Portland, Oregon. The students were part of a sleep research group that Dr. Conklin led. In addition, Domachowski, Vance and Ginty -- who is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Birmingham in England -- each received a prestigious Young Scholar Award from the APS. Only 12 awards were conferred in the competition, in which undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral scholars submitted abstracts for review by international experts in psychosomatic medicine. Congratulations Gators! Awesome work!

Sleep Group 2009 has left the building.....

2009-07-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

Way back in January, an unusual combination of Allegheny students who referred to themselves as Sleep Group I began working together on an independent study research project. Following a very successful spring semester, the group reached their goal of collecting data on over 100 participants during the summer.

The project aimed to investigate how daytime sleep might influence afternoon cardiovascular reactivity to mental stress and how nighttime sleep quality relates to daytime sleep architecture. Participants in the research project were randomized to a daytime sleep condition where they were given the opportunity to sleep in our lab while polysomnography was recorded.

The students, Ryan Brindle, Lenny Costantini, David Domachowski, Amy Kimicata and Catie Vance each worked on an individual project within the larger study and will submit an abstract to a professional research conference this fall.

Allegheny students who have keen attention to detail, enthusiasm for science and are eager to work as part of a team are encouraged to apply for Sleep Group II which will follow-up on the work of Group I in the Spring of 2010.

2009-03-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Siera Goodnight, Josh Sesek, Annie Ginty and Mia Symoniak for their recent accolades at the 67th annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society. Siera and Mia were recipients of the APS Young Scholar Award and presented their data during the citation poster session on the first night of the conference in Chicago. All of the students presented data detailing the results of a placebo controlled trial of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA. Previous research has suggested that the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are involved in brain structure, affect, learning and memory.

Thanks to the Allegheny College Shambrom Fund, The Wells Foundation and the McCune Fund for providing funding for the students last summer.

Science of Sleep

2008-10-14T18:22:00.000-07:00

Our Health and Psychophysiology Laboratory recently acquired a state-of-the-art polysomnography system. Using this new system, we can record a number of physiological variables during sleep or wakefulness such as EEG, eye movement, muscle activity, heart rate, respiration and more.

Welcome Back Gators!

2008-08-12T07:40:00.000-07:00

Wait-Lists
If you are interested in being placed on, or taken off of, the wait-list for PSY 172 or 360/365 please send me an email with your name, year and major. Please remember that Health and Psychophysiology is a 6 credit course. You must enroll in both 360 (4 credits) and 365 (2 credits). The maximum enrollment for 172 is 35 and for 360 is 18. If seats are available I will sign add-cards for students who are present on the first day of class and who are on the wait list.

Fall 2008 Textbooks
ISBN's:
FS 101 Healthy Happy Brains 1400077427 and 0979777704
PSY 172 Health Psychology 0716764504
PSY 360/365 Health and Psychophysiology 0805849513

Fall 2008 Office Hours in Carnegie 009
Monday 10:50 - 11:30 and 3:30 to 4:30 Wednesdays 11:00 to 1:00 and 3:20 to 4:00 Friday 11 - 1. You do not need to make an appointment to meet with me during these times. Other times can be arranged. Send me an email with your preferences.

Summertime activities

2008-06-25T16:22:00.000-07:00

In the lab, Siera, Mia, Josh and I are conducting a double blinded and placebo controlled trial of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. We are currently enrolling participating in the trial. If you are interested in the study send an email to Omega3.Allegheny@gmail.com or call 814 332 2744.

After volunteering at the Thurston Classic this year, I have a new fascination with Hot Air Balloons. I am available after 5 Monday through Friday and all day on the weekends if anyone would like to take me for a ride in their hot air balloon.

Hope everyone has a great summer.

I'm in the office Monday through Friday. You can always reach me by phone or email.

Unhealthy Emotions

2008-03-28T07:05:00.000-07:00

Angry at Heart, hosted by Alan Alda for Scientific American, discusses the work of two leading researchers Dr. Jay Kaplan and Dr. Redford Williams. As we discussed in class, some research suggests that negative emotions such as hostility and anger increase risk for developing cardiovascular disease. Here Dr. Kaplan explains his research on Rhesus Macaques social hierarchy, stress, diet and cardiovascular function and Dr. Williams explains some of his research on cardiovascular reactivity to stress in HomoSapiens.

"Choose who you want to be in the world"

2008-03-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a renowned neuroanatomist suffered a stoke several years ago. In this brief talk presented by T.E.D. she describes her experiences during and after a left hemisphere hemorrhagic stroke from the perspective of being both a human and an expert in brain science. During this brief talk she touches on several themes discussed in my courses including the nature of consciousness, hemispheric asymmetry, recovery from brain insult/injury, social support, motivation, and neuroplasticity. There is something about her courage, her zest for neuroscience and love of things mysterious that make this talk a must see!!!

Empirical Emotions

2008-02-26T17:31:00.000-08:00

In our Health and Psychophysiology class we discussed Electromyography as a method to empirically measure the facial expression of emotion. Electromyography involves the measurement of motor unit (muscle) action potentials detected by electrodes placed on the skin. Check out this awesome website, where you can see the different facial muscles and their involvement in the generation of emotional expressions. You might also be interested in the research of Paul Ekman who has studied cross-cultural similarities in the expression of emotion.

More on Attachment Theory

2008-01-31T14:20:00.001-08:00

Hi Gators! TGIF. In class today we will be discussing Attachment Theory. I came across a story on This American Life entitled "Unconditional Love" which I think you will enjoy. Post a comment and let us know what you think! Have a nice weekend.

Classes are FULL!

2008-01-25T13:07:00.000-08:00

Dear Gators
All of my courses are full. I can not sign anymore add cards.
In the fall I'll teach PSY 172 and 360 again!

PSYCH 172 Reading Quiz

2008-01-24T18:42:00.000-08:00

Guess what Gators? Today's your lucky day. I'm giving a reading POP quiz on Friday.

Course Textbooks

2008-01-11T12:12:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to campus Gators and Happy New Year! For those of you enrolled in my courses this semester, textbook information can be found on the appropriate syllabus listed under Course Documents.

Use it or lose it

2007-12-16T15:24:00.000-08:00

This recent story from the New York Times discusses lifestyle related factors aimed at reducing the risk for dementia and optimizing cognitive function as we age.