Jerome Siegel

Jerome Siegel is a Professor in Residence at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, and Chief of Neurobiology Research at the Sepulveda VA Medical Center. His research focuses on understanding REM sleep evolution, function, and disorders with particular emphasis on narcolepsy and the hypocretin/orexin system. He also investigates the role of sleep in opioid addiction and neurodegenerative diseases.

• Primary Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA
• Research Support: NIH, NSF, VA, NIDA

Key Research Themes:

• Discovery that human narcolepsy stems from hypocretin neuron loss
• Identification of locus coeruleus neuron degeneration as the primary cause of narcolepsy symptoms
• Development of suvorexant as a treatment for opioid addiction without compromising analgesia
• Evolutionary sleep studies across mammals, including cetaceans and primates
• Neurochemical basis of REM sleep atonia and cataplexy

Scientific Contributions include

• Over 200 publications spanning 40+ years
• Groundbreaking work on sleep in continuously active species (killer whales, dolphins)
• Elucidation of hypocretin's role in pleasure, addiction, and stress responses
• Challenging traditional sleep function hypotheses through comparative studies

His work has been recognized with multiple awards including the Narcolepsy Network Researcher of the Year (2013) and the William S. Middleton Award (2011). He leads the Center for Sleep Research with continuous funding since 1980.