Considering that sleep disturbances brought on by shift work, nighttime light pollution from technology (e.g., TVs, phones, tablets, computers, etc.), and other factors (e.g., stress, anxiety, depression, etc.) are common in modern society, we established a maternal sleep disruption model to study the impact of sleep disturbances on offspring brain development and behaviour. As disrupted sleep has been documented in a number of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), targeting our efforts towards better understanding neurodevelopmental disruptions is essential—especially with occurrences of NDDs on the rise (~1:10 in Canada) and both the cause and mechanisms through which these systems go astray in children still unknown. Although various theories have been proposed, disrupting the intrauterine environment has been shown to negatively affect the developing brain and may provide a causal link to the appearance of NDDs later in life; however, the mechanism(s) by which fetal neural cells change their developmental programs in response to maternal sleep disruptions to result in neuropsychiatric consequences is understudied. Our research is targeted at understanding how maternal sleep disruptions during pregnancy impact the development and function of offspring sleep circuits. We aim to characterize changes in brain development in the fetus, in addition to assessing functional changes in offspring by examining their brains and sleep behaviours. Our research findings will help define connections between maternal sleep disruption during pregnancy and changes in brain development that can be linked to NDDs. Ultimately, our goal is to use this knowledge to support healthcare professionals in their recommendations to pregnant women about the potential risks associated with chronic sleep disturbances, and at the level of government, advocate for policy change for jobs that require pregnant women to conduct shift work.
