Ronald Harper

Ronald Harper is a Professor of Neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, and a member of the Brain Research Institute. His research focuses on neural mechanisms underlying sleep state control, particularly breathing, cardiovascular action, and somatomotor activity in animal models and human patients with conditions like obstructive sleep apnea and epilepsy.

• Key Techniques: Intrinsic optical imaging, functional MRI (fMRI), chronic single neuron recording, microdialysis, and neurophysiological challenge assessments.
• Major Findings: Rostral brain influences on pontine/medullary structures in breathing disorders, immature neural development risks in sleep apnea, and SUDEP (sudden unexpected death in epilepsy) risk factors linked to peri-ictal hypoxia.

Recent Publications (2019-2023) explore:

• Insular cortex responses in sleep apnea
• Neural connectivity in SUDEP
• Non-invasive cerebellar stimulation for epilepsy
• Sex differences in autonomic neural responses
• Brainstem posturing during seizures
• Neurochemical changes in heart failure and sleep disorders

Collaborative Work spans neurology, cardiology, and pediatric sleep medicine. He has contributed to understanding:

• Neurodegeneration in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome
• Myelin and axonal integrity in sleep apnea
• Autonomic regulation in heart failure
• Baroreflex sensitivity in sleep disorders