| Dr. Wright is an Assistant Professor in the
Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology. He received
his Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience from Bowling Green State
University. Dr. Wright performed his postdoctoral training
at Harvard Medical School and was a faculty member in their
Division of Sleep Medicine before moving to the University
of Colorado in 2002.
Dr. Wright’s research is aimed at understanding the
neurophysiology of sleep-wake homeostasis and the internal
circadian clock and applying that knowledge to improve public
health and safety. His work has examined how the internal
circadian clock and sleep-wake homeostasis interact to regulate
neurobehavioral alertness, fatigue, memory, learning, mood
and vigilance performance, and neuroendocrine and thermoregulatory
physiology. Current research is aimed at understanding the
influence of inadequate sleep on human performance and health
with a component aimed at the development of countermeasures
to promote optimal sleep and wakefulness in a variety of circumstances
in which circadian misalignment and sleep deprivation occur
(e.g., shift work, jet lag, insufficient sleep, sustained
and continuous work operations, space missions).
Selected Publications:
Wright KP Jr., Hughes, RJ, Kronauer, RE, Dijk, DJ, Czeisler,
CA. Intrinsic near-24-hour pacemaker period determines limits
of circadian entrainment to a weak synchronizer in humans.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2001; 98:14027-14032.
Wright KP Jr., Czeisler, CA. Absence of Circadian Phase Resetting
in Response to Bright Light Behind the Knees. Science. 2002;
297:571
Wright KP Jr., Hull, JT, Czeisler, CA. Relationship Between
Alertness, Performance and Body Temperature in Humans. Am.
J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol. In Press. Published
online on August 15, 2002.
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