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{{short description|American sleep researcher}}
'''Eugene Aserinsky''' (1921 – [[22 July]] [[1998]]) was a graduate student at [[University of Chicago]] in 1953 when he discovered [[REM sleep]]. He made the discovery after hours spent studying the eyelids of sleeping subjects. His PhD adviser, [[Nathaniel Kleitman]], and Aserinsky went on to demonstrate that this "rapid-eye movement" was correlated with [[dream]]ing and a general increase in [[brain]] activity. They pioneered procedures that have now been used with thousands of volunteers using the [[electroencephalograph]]. Because of these discoveries, Aserinsky and Kleitman are generally considered the founders of modern sleep research.
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Eugene Aserinsky
| image =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1921|05|6}}
| birth_place =
| death_date ={{death date and age|1998|07|22|1921|05|6}}
| death_place =
| nationality = American
| fields = [[Physiology]]
| workplaces =
| alma_mater = [[University of Chicago]]
}}

'''Eugene Aserinsky''' (May 6, 1921 &ndash; July 22, 1998), a pioneer in sleep research, was a graduate student at the [[University of Chicago]] in 1953 when he discovered [[REM sleep]]. He was the son of a dentist of Russian–Jewish descent.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sleepandhealth.com/files/journal/2004/2004_01.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2012-10-08 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109174838/http://www.sleepandhealth.com/files/journal/2004/2004_01.pdf |archivedate=2014-01-09 }}</ref>
He made the discovery after hours spent studying the eyelids of sleeping subjects. While the phenomenon was in the beginning more interesting for a fellow of PhD student Aserinsky, [[William Charles Dement]], both Aserinsky and their PhD adviser, [[Nathaniel Kleitman]], went on to demonstrate that this "rapid-eye movement" was correlated with [[dream]]ing and a general increase in [[brain]] activity. Aserinsky and Kleitman pioneered procedures that have now been used with thousands of volunteers using the [[electroencephalograph]]. Because of these discoveries, Aserinsky and Kleitman are generally considered the founders of modern sleep research.

Eugene Aserinsky died on July 22, 1998, when his car hit a tree north of [[San Diego]]. An autopsy was inconclusive about the cause of the accident, but raised the possibility that it had resulted from him having fallen asleep at the wheel.<ref>Chip Brown, October 2003 [http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-stubborn-scientist-who-unraveled-a-mystery-of-the-night-91514538/?page=9 "The Stubborn Scientist Who Unraveled A Mystery of the Night"], Smithsonian Magazine</ref> He was 77 and lived in [[Escondido, California]].


==References==
==References==


{{reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Aserinsky, Eugene}}
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[[Category:American physiologists]]
[[Category:American physiologists]]
[[Category:1921 births]]
[[Category:1921 births]]
[[Category:1998 deaths]]
[[Category:1998 deaths]]Eugene Aserinsky, a pioneer in sleep studies, died on July 22 1998 when his car hit a tree north of San Diego. He was 77 and lived in Escondido, Calif.
[[Category:Sleep researchers]]
[[Category:Sleep researchers]]
[[Category:Oneirologists]]
[[Category:University of Chicago alumni]]
[[Category:University of Chicago alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:20th-century American physicians]]


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{{US-physician-stub}}
[[nl:Eugene Aserinsky]]

Latest revision as of 20:16, 28 January 2023

Eugene Aserinsky
Born(1921-05-06)May 6, 1921
DiedJuly 22, 1998(1998-07-22) (aged 77)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Chicago
Scientific career
FieldsPhysiology

Eugene Aserinsky (May 6, 1921 – July 22, 1998), a pioneer in sleep research, was a graduate student at the University of Chicago in 1953 when he discovered REM sleep. He was the son of a dentist of Russian–Jewish descent.[1] He made the discovery after hours spent studying the eyelids of sleeping subjects. While the phenomenon was in the beginning more interesting for a fellow of PhD student Aserinsky, William Charles Dement, both Aserinsky and their PhD adviser, Nathaniel Kleitman, went on to demonstrate that this "rapid-eye movement" was correlated with dreaming and a general increase in brain activity. Aserinsky and Kleitman pioneered procedures that have now been used with thousands of volunteers using the electroencephalograph. Because of these discoveries, Aserinsky and Kleitman are generally considered the founders of modern sleep research.

Eugene Aserinsky died on July 22, 1998, when his car hit a tree north of San Diego. An autopsy was inconclusive about the cause of the accident, but raised the possibility that it had resulted from him having fallen asleep at the wheel.[2] He was 77 and lived in Escondido, California.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-09. Retrieved 2012-10-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ Chip Brown, October 2003 "The Stubborn Scientist Who Unraveled A Mystery of the Night", Smithsonian Magazine