May Psychology Course Spotlight: Sleep and Mental Health

Curious about what happens to your brain when you sleep—and how it impacts your mental health? Harvard Extension School students have selected PSYC E-1440: Sleep and Mental Health, taught by Dr. Edward Franz Pace-Schott, as this month’s spotlight course. This class dives into the fascinating and mysterious world of sleep, exploring its essential role in emotional regulation, memory, neurological health, and psychiatric disorders.

Course Overview

PSYC E-1440: Sleep and Mental Health

Format: Live Attendance Web Conference

Sleep science is one of the most dynamic fields in psychology and neuroscience, bridging disciplines from molecular biology to psychiatry. This course offers a deep dive into the neurobiology of sleep, the bidirectional relationship between sleep and mental disorders, and the translational research that connects basic science to clinical treatment.

You’ll explore how sleep disturbances affect mood, anxiety, psychosis, autism, and neurodegenerative conditions—and how disorders like insomnia, sleep apnea, and circadian rhythm imbalances can worsen or even trigger psychiatric symptoms. Students will choose a topic for in-depth research, culminating in a class presentation and term paper.

Meet the Instructor

Dr. Edward Pace-Schott, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a researcher at the Massachusetts General Research Institute. He specializes in sleep, emotional memory, and anxiety disorders. His work explores how sleep affects fear extinction, habituation, and recovery from trauma, using tools like fMRI and polysomnography. Dr. Pace-Schott's research bridges neuroscience and clinical treatment, with applications in PTSD and exposure therapy.

Why Take This Course?

• Explore the Science of Sleep: Understand the biological, psychological, and neurological underpinnings of sleep.

• Connect Sleep to Mental Health: Examine how sleep both influences and is influenced by disorders like depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.

• Apply Translational Insights: Learn how animal and human research contribute to advancing sleep medicine.

• Conduct Meaningful Research: Develop a focused research project on a topic of your choice related to sleep and mental health.

Who Should Enroll?

This course is ideal for students in psychology, neuroscience, medicine, or mental health fields, or anyone interested in the science of sleep. Whether your passion is clinical care, research, or public health, this class offers powerful insights into one of the most fundamental yet understudied aspects of human life.

If you’re ready to rethink your relationship with sleep and its profound role in mental wellness, PSYC E-1440 is the perfect course to explore.