Steven A. Shea Laboratory
Research Interests
The severity of many diseases varies across the 24-hour period. For example, heart attacks occur most frequently in the morning, and asthma is generally worst at night. The focus of Dr. Shea's research is to understand the biological basis behind these changes in disease severity across the day and night, for instance, are they caused by the body clock (endogenous circadian pacemaker) or attributable to behaviors that occur on a regular daily basis, such as the sleep/wake cycle. Understanding the basis of these pathophysiological changes may provide insight into the underlying causes of disease and could lead to better therapy (e.g. appropriate timing of medication), and countermeasures to reduce the adverse health effects of shift work.
The Shea lab's recent data (unpublished) illustrates the body's stress response to a standardized bicycle exercise bout at different times of day. Norepenephrine (red) and epinephrine (black) both show variation across the 24-hour day indicating potential circadian control of the hormones' secretion.
Current Studies
Circadian Rhythms and Cardiovascular risk:
This study aims to investigate how behaviors and the body's internal clock affect the control of the heart and blood pressure. After 2-4 screening visits, eligible study volunteers will maintain a set sleep schedule at home for up to 3 weeks and then spend 5 consecutive days and nights at our facility while sleep, blood pressure, and other tests and measurements are performed.
Eligible study volunteers will be between the age of 30 and 80 years old with a BMI less than 40 who have no current or previous history of pharmacological hypertension treatment. Eligible participants may have a diagnosis of sleep apnea. Further eligibility is determined during a medical evaluation at no cost to you. Receive up to $1,800 for study completion as well as reasonable parking and transportation cost coverage.
If you are interested in participating, please access our pre-screening survey here:
Cannabis Use Habits and Sleep:
We are seeking subjects to take part in a ~15 minute online research survey about cannabis (i.e. marijuana/hash) use habits including method of ingestion, strain, concentration of cannabis components, and sleep quality.
Eligible participants will be 18+ years old and currently using cannabis products for sleep. You will be adding to research in the field of cannabis, which aims to reduce associated harms while increasing benefits. By completing the survey, you will also be added to a drawing for a $50 Amazon gift card.
Vitamin C and Cardiovascular Risk
We are looking for healthy people aged 40-60 for a study focused on Vitamin C and sleep. We are investigating how a single dose of Vitamin C affects blood vessels during daily morning activities (such as exercise and changes in posture).
Eligible participants may be lean or overweight (BMI<30) with no current medication use and no history of cancer, heart disease, or other chronic illness. Participants currently taking Vitamin C supplements or eating more than 14 servings of fruit/vegetables weekly will be excluded. Initial screening involves 2-4 hospital visits followed by establishing a 1-2 week home sleep and activity routine. If successfully completed, this will be followed by two separate overnight in-lab stays. Compensation up to $445 will be provided.
If you are interested in participating, please access our pre-screening survey here:
Circadian Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Risk in Obesity
We are looking for healthy people aged 35-65 for a study focused on body weight and sleep. We are investigation how behaviors (such as exercise and changes in posture) and the body's internal clock (called the circadian rhythm) affect the control of the heart and blood pressure. Eligible participants may be lean or overweight with no current medication use and no history of cancer, heart disease, or other chronic illness. Initial screening involves 2-4 hospital visits followed by establishing a 1-3 week home sleep and activity routine. If successfully completed, this will be followed by a 5 day in-lab stay. Compensation up to $1,700 will be provided.
If you are interested in participating, please access our pre-screening survey here:
THC and Sleep
We are looking for volunteers for a study on the effect of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on sleep in humans. Eligible participants will be between the age of 21 and 34 years old with a BMI less than 30 and free of any acute, chronic or debilitating medical conditions. Participants may be regular cannabis users (smoked, or digested weekly for the past 3 months) or controls with no cannabis use. Initial screening involves 2-3 clinic visits (<8 hours total) followed by establishing a 1-3 week home sleep and activity routine. If successfully completed, this will be followed by a 3 night in-lab stay including administration of oral THC. Compensation up to $755 will be provided.
If you are interested in participating, please access our pre-screening survey here:
https://is.gd/OHSUTHC
Health Disparities in Hypertension
We are looking for healthy people aged 40-60 for a study focused on hypertension and sleep. We are investigation how behaviors (such as exercise and changes in posture) and the body's internal clock (called the circadian rhythm) affect the control of the heart and blood pressure. Eligible participants may have normal blood pressure or have mild hypertension with no current medication use and no history of cancer, heart disease, or other chronic illness. Initial screening involves 2-4 hospital visits followed by establishing a 1-3 week home sleep and activity routine. If successfully completed, this will be followed by a 6 night in-lab stay. Compensation up to $2,400 will be provided.
If you are interested in participating, please access our pre-screening survey here:
http://is.gd/OHSUDIP
Former Postdoctoral Fellows
Saurabh S. Thosar, PhD, MS, OTR/L
Saurabh received a B.O.Th in Occupational Therapy from Maharashtra University of Health Science in India, an M.S. in Movement Sciences from the Univ. of Illinois Chicago, and a Ph.D. in Human Performance (Physiology) from Indiana Univ. Bloomington. He is a certified clinical exercise specialist and licensed occupational therapist. Saurabh has received a fellowship from the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, an early clinical investigator award from the Medical Research Foundation of Oregon, and a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Thosar studies the interactions between sleep, circadian rhythms and physical inactivity/activity as they relate to cardiovascular disease; and the development of chronotherapeutic countermeasures to cardiovascular risks in vulnerable populations. Link to his faculty page.
Nicole Bowles, PhD
Dr. Bowles graduated with her Ph.D. from
Rockefeller University and went on to earn a master's in clinical epidemiology
from Weill Cornell Medical College as a Health Disparities and Community
Engagement Research Fellow. Dr. Bowles who joined Dr. Shea's laboratory in
August 2016 is currently funded by a Ford Foundation Fellowship; broadly her
research focuses on the interplay between stress, endogenous circadian rhythms,
and the endocannabinoid system in humans. Link to her faculty page.
Andrew McHill, PhD
Dr. McHill
graduated with a Ph.D. in Integrative Physiology with a specialization in sleep
and circadian physiology from the University of Colorado Boulder. After
graduating, he completed an NIH funded post-doctoral fellowship at the Brigham
and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School within the Division of Sleep
and Circadian Disorders and joined the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health
Sciences in Dr. Shea's Circadian Laboratory in 2016 as a visiting post-doctoral
fellow. In July 2017, he became a full time postdoctoral fellow within the
institute. Dr. McHill is interested in understanding the
contributing mechanisms by which circadian misalignment (i.e. shiftwork or
jetlag) and insufficient sleep leads to adverse metabolic health and poor
cognitive performance outcomes. Link to his faculty page.