Benjamin Rusak
Professor
Email: Benjamin.Rusak@dal.ca
Phone: (902) 473-2433
Mailing Address:
- Neuroscience
- Sleep
- Circadian rhythms
Education
BA (University of Toronto)
PhD (University of California, Berkeley)
Research Interests
Professor Rusak's research deals with mechanisms regulating circadian rhythms and sleep, and the application of knowledge of these mechanisms to issues in human health. Current and recent projects include studies of the effects of sleep loss on mood, cognition, memory, daily hormone rhythms, and pain sensitivity.
Selected Publications
• Rusak, B. and Groos, G. Suprachiasmatic stimulation phase shifts rodent circadian rhythms. Science, 215:1407-1409, 1982.
• Rusak, B. and Bina, K.G. Neurotransmitters in the mammalian circadian system. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 13:387-401, 1990.
• Rusak, B., Robertson, H.A., Wisden, W. and Hunt, S.P. Light pulses which shift rhythms induce gene expression in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Science, 248:1237-1240, 1990.
• Piggins, H.D., Antle, M. and Rusak, B. Neuropeptides phase shift the mammalian circadian pacemaker. Journal of Neuroscience 15:5612-5622, 1995.
• Bernier, D., Bartha, R., Devarajan, S., MacMaster, F.P., Schmidt, M. and Rusak, B. Effects of overnight sleep restriction on brain chemistry and mood in women with unipolar depression. Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience 34:352-360, 2009.
Awards and Honours
• Fellow, Royal Society of Canada, Academy of Science, 1999-
• University Research Professor, Dalhousie University, 2002-2007
• Guest Professor, Jilin University, Changchun, China, 2008-2013
• Distinguished Scientist Award, Canadian Sleep Society, 2011
• Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation Max Forman Senior Research Prize, 2012
• Heinz Lehmann Award, Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2013
Service and Activity
Member, Advisory Board, Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health, CIHR, 2004-2013
• Member, Life Sciences Advisory Committee, Canadian Space Agency, 2006-2009
• Member, Research Advisory Committee, NS Health Research Foundation, 2007-Present
• Member, Division of Life Sciences Committee for the Selection of New Fellows, Academy of Science, Royal Society of Canada, 2010-2011
• Member, Executive, Canadian Depression Research & Intervention Network, 2010-Present