Alpar Lazar

Dr Alpar Lazar is an Associate Professor and Principal Investigator in the School of Health Sciences at the University of East Anglia. He specializes in sleep, circadian rhythmicity, and their roles in brain health, particularly in neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. His research explores sleep disturbances as early biomarkers of neurodegeneration and interventions to improve sleep quality in aging populations.

Education:

• PhD in Psychology, Semmelweis University (2010)

Research Interests:

• Neurodegeneration and brain health
• Sleep-wake regulation and circadian rhythms
• Pathological aging and dementia
• Impact of sleep on cognition and disease progression

Key Projects:

• Leading the Sleep and Brain Research Unit (SBRU)
• Investigating low-cost sleep tracking devices for dementia patients (SleepXacT project)
• Exploring auditory stimulation effects on sleep-associated memory
• Targeting gut microbiota for healthy aging via non-pharmaceutical approaches

Awards:

• Wellcome Trust Seed Award (Sleep and Alzheimer’s genetics)

Grants & Funding:

• Wellcome Trust, UKRI, NIHR
• Royal Society (auditory stimulation research)

Labs/Teams:

• Sleep and Brain Health Research program at UEA
• Collaborations on Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and healthy aging initiatives