About Sanpsy

The SANPSY (Sleep, Addiction, Neuropsychiatry) unit, created in 2011, is located at the CHU Pellegrin and a short distance from the Charles Perrens psychiatric hospital. It consists of 27 people, under the direction of Marc Auriacombe.

This clinical research unit specifically focuses on sleep, addiction, and neuropsychiatric disorders. The unit has a platform equipped with a sleep recording room and virtual reality equipment (flight and driving simulators, Controlled Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE) funded by the EquipEx project “PHENOVIRT,” etc.). This virtual environment allows the study of the effects of sleep deprivation and fatigue on attention, cognitive functions, and accident risks. This research platform also has an extension at the CHS Charles Perrens, which follows a cohort of patients suffering from addiction. Recently, the sleep clinic of the Bordeaux University Hospital moved near the SANPSY research platform, creating an optimal environment for clinical research.

The main objectives of Sanpsy are to understand the determinants of sleepiness and attention disorders in patients. Researchers also work on the relationships between sleep disorders and psychiatric pathologies, particularly addiction, craving, depression, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The researchers test behavioral, pharmacological, and technical protocols to restore the cognitive performance of healthy subjects and patients.