Meet our wonderful team!
John Peever, PhD
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John Peever, PhD
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Jimmy Fraigne, phd
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Jimmy Fraigne, PhD
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Russell Luke, Postdoctoral fellow
Russell Luke,
Postdoctoral Fellow
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I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Peever-Fraigne lab studying the neural circuits that regulate sleep and wakefulness in health and disease. I am interested the bidirectional link between sleep disturbances and neurodegenerative disease. Under Dr. John Peever’s supervision, my PhD focused on how degeneration in brainstem circuits contributes to sleep disturbances in Parkinson’s disease. Specifically, my thesis investigated the mechanisms underlying REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD), one of the strongest clinical predictors of future Parkinson’s disease and related α-synucleinopathies. As a postdoctoral fellow, I am expanding this research to better understand how sleep–wake circuits themselves are affected by ageing and neurodegeneration. My current projects investigate how sleep deprivation influences neurogenerative processes in mouse models of Parkinson’s disease and in healthy ageing. In parallel, I study the organization and function of brainstem arousal networks, which may represent key substrates through which sleep disturbances exacerbate neurodegeneration. Outside the lab, I enjoy walking my dog and spending time with family.
Check out my publications below: Luke R, Fraigne JJ, Peever JH (2024) Sleep: How stress keeps you up at night. Current Biology 34(1):R23-R25. Luke R, Alymova I (2023) Unraveling the Mechanisms Underlying Disordered Sleep in Alzheimer’s Disease. J Neurosci 43:7899–7901. |
Anita TaksoKHAN, PHD Candidate
Anita Taksokhan,
PhD Candidate
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I am a PhD student interested in the role of brainstem dorsal pons projecting to the basal forebrain area in production of theta activities during REM sleep. These theta activities facilitate memory and learning of novel experiences. Additionally, I am currently in the process of generating the first mouse line that resembles idiopathic hypersomnia to study the cause and phenotype of this condition. Outside the lab I enjoy exploring restaurants, having political debates, and sketching.
Check out my publication below: Taksokhan A, Kim K. (2023) Lateral Preoptic Hypothalamus: A Window to Understanding Insomnia. J Neurosci.43(5):682-684. |
Brittany Dugan, PHD Candidate
Brittany Dugan,
PhD Candidate
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Hey there! My name's Brittany, and I'm originally from Ottawa where I completed my BSc at Carleton University in Neuroscience, with minors in both Statistics and Psychology. My PhD project focuses on the relationship between RBD and synucleinopathic disorders such as PD and MSA. In my free time, I love to sing, play video games, and thrift!
Check out my publications below: Dugan BJ, Fraigne JJ, Peever J. (2024). REM sleep: Out-dreaming fear. Curr Biology. 34(10): pR510-R512. Dugan BJ, Dockery M. (2024) Sex-Dependent Synaptic Alterations in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. J of Neurosci. 44 (36): e0961242024. Dugan BJ, Lee H, Peever J. (2023). Glutamate neurons in the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus control arousal state and motor behavior in mice. Sleep. 46(4):zsac322. |
Anthony Kadamani, PHD Candidate
Anthony Kadamani,
PhD Candidate
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Bonjour! I did my BSc at the University of Ottawa in Biomedical Science. For my PhD project, I am interested in studying the spread of alpha-synuclein from the periphery to the CNS. In my free time, I love swimming. My favourite animal is a raccoon 🦝, and I can speak French, English, Arabic, and Mandarin.
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IRINA ALYMOVA, PHD Candidate
Irina Alymova,
PhD Candidate
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I am a PhD student studying the role of projections from the dopaminergic A11 nucleus to the TMN histamine neurons in wakefulness control. The main techniques that I am using are fiber photometry and optogenetics. In my spare time, I enjoy trying new restaurants and playing sims.
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Matthew DANESH, PHD Candidate
Matthew Danesh,
PHD Candidate
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I completed my undergraduate here at UofT which is where I first fell in love with sleep neuroscience. After completing my MSc at Simon Fraser University, I came back to Toronto and joined the Peever lab. My project focuses on the role of astrocytes within REM sleep circuitry and their regulation of REM sleep homeostasis. I love playing and watching basketball, and rabbits are my favourite animal.
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Vasilisa Nikiporets, MSc Candidate
Vasilisa Nikiporets,
MSc Candidate
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I am a Master's student interested in understanding the role of a discrete hypothalamic brain region, the Lateral Supramammillary Nucleus, in modulating REM sleep specific theta activity. To address this research question, I use fiber photometry to record the activity of the glutamate neurons in this region, and their axonal projections in the Medial Septum. Outside the lab I enjoy taking walks, cooking, and travelling.
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Myles Dockery, MSc Candidate
Myles Dockery,
MSc Candidate
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I am a MSc student studying the link between sleep and Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, I study how tau pathology in the Locus Coeruleus - the first region to develop AD pathology - impacts the sleep-wake architecture. In my spare time, I enjoy watching hockey games, reading, and engaging in political discourse.
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