Summary
My central research interest is in understanding how general anaesthetics act. I have worked on this problem mainly at the molecular and cellular levels but more recently I have become interested in how anaesthetics act at the level of neuronal networks and have been pursuing the possibility that the sedative and hypnotic actions of general anaesthetics may be mediated through the same neuronal pathways that control natural sleep.
My laboratory is merged with that of Bill Wisden and our joint website can be found here: franks-wisden-lab.
My publications from Google Scholar
Current Group members
PREVIOUS GROUP MEMBERS
Publications
Journals
Wisden W, Franks NP, 2023, Biochemical pathways of sleep., Cell Res
Yu X, Zhao G, Wang D, et al., 2022, A specific circuit in the midbrain detects stress and induces restorative sleep, Science, Vol:377, ISSN:1095-9203, Pages:1-10
Miracca G, Anuncibay Soto B, Tossell K, et al., 2022, NMDA receptors in the lateral preoptic hypothalamus are essential for sustaining NREM and REM sleep, The Journal of Neuroscience, Vol:42, ISSN:0270-6474, Pages:5389-5409
Franks NP, Wisden W, 2021, The inescapable drive to sleep: Overlapping mechanisms of sleep and sedation, Science, Vol:374, ISSN:0036-8075, Pages:556-559
Conference
Tossell K, Yu X, Soto BA, et al., 2022, NEURONS IN PREFRONTAL CORTEX RESPOND TO SLEEP DEPRIVATION BY INITIATING SLEEP PREPARATORY BEHAVIOUR AND NREM SLEEP, ELSEVIER, Pages:S20-S20, ISSN:1389-9457