Charlotte Boccara

• Holme, Andreas Næss; Moen, Line Victoria; Sallinen, Mikael; Nilsen, Kristian Bernhard; Boccara, Charlotte & Phillips, Andrew JK [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2026). Adaptation across consecutive night shifts at 71°N under Arctic summer daylight and winter darkness. Effects on alertness, sleepiness, and fatigue. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health. ISSN 0355-3140. 52(4), p. 403–414. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.4295. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Objectives: This study aimed to investigate how alertness, sleepiness, and fatigue change across consecutive night compared to morning shifts among Arctic shift workers and whether these effects differ between seasons of midnight sun and polar night. Methods: We conducted an observational crossover study of 118 shift workers from an industrial plant at a high latitude (71°N) in northern Norway. Eighty-one individuals participated in both the light (near 24-hour daylight) and dark (minimal natural light) seasons. Work schedules included blocks of seven consecutive morning shifts and seven consecutive night shifts, separated by four rest days. Alertness (psychomotor vigilance test), subjective sleepiness (Karolinska Sleepiness Scale), and subjective fatigue were measured at the end of shifts on days 1, 3, and 6 of each shift block. We analyzed data using multilevel mixed-effects regression models with season, shift type (morning/night), and consecutive workday number as fixed effects. Results: Night shifts were linked to lower alertness and higher sleepiness and fatigue in both seasons, with the largest impairments on the first night. Across six consecutive night shifts, alertness improved and sleepiness and fatigue decreased, with similar trajectories in both seasons. There was no evidence that season significantly affected alertness, sleepiness, or fatigue. Conclusions: Night shifts generally impair alertness and increase sleepiness and fatigue, yet outcomes improved across consecutive nights. Despite the well-established effects of natural light on circadian rhythms, the seasonal photoperiod altered neither the shift-related impairments in alertness, sleepiness or fatigue nor the subsequent improvements across consecutive nights; workers showed similar adaptation in both seasons.

• Nossum, Baard; Liverud, Anders Erik; Dapsance, Florian Albert; Annavini, Eis; Modi, Brijesh & Hafting, Torkel [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2025). A Lightweight FPGA-Based Platform for Low-Power Neural Recording in Freely Moving Animals. In Redaktørkomite (Eds.), 2025 47th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC). IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). ISSN 9798331586188. doi: 10.1109/embc58623.2025.11253988. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Understanding the neural mechanisms of sleep is critical for advancing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. To investigate these mechanisms, long-term electrophysiological studies are conducted in animal models, where brain activity can be monitored continuously under controlled conditions. However, electrophysiological recordings from freely moving animals are typically performed using a tethered setup, which imposes constraints on natural behaviour. As a first step towards a miniaturised, wireless neural implant, we present a low-power system that enables direct control of the Intan RHD2132 electrophysiology chip using a custom FPGA-based stack. A light-weight yet robust implementation ensures efficient operation while maintaining the necessary flexibility for future integration into a compact, wireless system. The FPGA handles real-time signal processing and data transmission, with support for closed-loop stimulation and onboard data compression. Our system achieves continuous multi-channel recording at 20 kHz, with real-time wireless streaming and long-term data storage. The hardware design prioritises low power consumption, with the aim of enabling extended operation for uninterrupted sleep monitoring over 24 hoursClinical Relevance— This technology enables long-term, high-resolution sleep monitoring, which is essential for understanding the role of sleep in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. By providing continuous, naturalistic brain recordings, this system may help identify early electrophysiological biomarkers of cognitive decline, with potential translational and therapeutics applications.

• Dufour, Damien; Bryne, Sandra Kristine Stølen; Dapsance, Florian; Ferrito, Noemi; Plotton, Ingrid & Dalen, Knut Tomas [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2025). Mechanisms of sexually dimorphic adipose tissue remodelling upon prolonged breastfeeding. bioRxiv (preprint article). doi: 10.1101/2025.09.05.674416. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Early developmental cues exert lasting influence on the adipose tissue function and the metabolic health throughout adulthood. In mice, adipose tissue remodelling during the weaning transition programs long-term tissue plasticity, setting its capacity for expansion and thermogenesis in response to environmental stimuli. However, the mechanisms driving this remodelling, and the role of weaning-associated dietary changes in this process, are unknown. Here, we characterise the emergence of sexually dimorphic patterns of adipose tissue distribution and function during the post-weaning period. As subcutaneous adipocytes acquire a white phenotype, the tissue microenvironment undergoes a coordinated remodelling, including reduced innervation and an increase in immune cell content. Using a model of prolonged breastfeeding, we show that it promotes adipose tissue expansion through sex-dependent mechanisms, stimulating progenitor proliferation in males and adipocyte hypertrophy in females. In males, this is accompanied by accelerated tissue whitening, which we link to enhanced clearance of extracellular noradrenaline by mature adipocytes. Our findings reveal sex- and diet-dependent mechanisms governing adipose tissue maturation and highlight how early life nutritional cues shape the microenvironment and function of mature adipocytes. Highlights - The peri-weaning period associates with sexually dimorphic remodelling of the adipose tissue - Whitening of the adipose tissue associates with immune infiltration and decrease innervation in both sexes - Prolonged breastfeeding prevents drop in proliferation in males - Whitening is accelerated in males during prolonged breastfeeding

• Ullern, Halvor; Schnur, Paulina; Boccara, Charlotte & Knævelsrud, Helene (2025). Rest, Repair, Repeat: The Complex Relationship of Autophagy and Sleep. Journal of Molecular Biology (JMB). ISSN 0022-2836. 437(18). doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2025.169227. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Autophagy and sleep are two evolutionary conserved mechanisms across the animal kingdom. Autophagy is a pathway for the degradation of cytoplasmic material in the lysosome, playing important roles in the homeostasis and health of the organism. On the other hand, sleep is a homeostatically regulated state with numerous presumed essential roles, including the restoration of tissue and physiological functions, such as brain waste clearance via the activation of the glymphatic systems. Given that sleep and autophagy are crucial processes tightly linked to homeostasis and maintenance of good health, understanding how they interact is of great interest, especially as sleep quality decreases in our modern 24-hour societies. Autophagy represents a promising target for therapeutic interventions in this context. Here, we review the contrasted and complementary roles of autophagy and sleep in maintaining homeostasis. Specifically, we focus on recent evidence suggesting that sleep impairment may increase autophagy, while autophagosome levels may modulate the amount of sleep. We discuss outstanding questions at the intersection of these two fields, highlighting methodological shortcomings in the current literature. Overcoming these limitations will be instrumental to design new experiments with the aim of answering one of the greatest mysteries of our time – why do we sleep?

• Dapsance, Florian; Hou, Jie; Dufour, Damien; Boccara, Charlotte; Briand, Nolwenn & Martinsen, Ørjan Grøttem (2023). Adipose Tissue Characterization With Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy and Machine Learning. IEEE Sensors Letters. 7(10). doi: 10.1109/LSENS.2023.3317921. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Biological tissues have variable passive electrical properties depending on their cellular constitution. Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is commonly used to monitor cell and tissue characteristics. By measuring the impedance of a sample at various frequencies, it is possible to collect information regarding cell size and shape, cell membrane properties, or cytoplasm conductivity. From the perspective of longitudinal structural monitoring, bioimpedance measurements outrank traditional tissue analysis methods, such as fixation and slicing, owing to their nondestructive nature. Machine learning can be used to automatically process the impedance data and make real-time classifications of tissue types. Here, we present preliminary results on ex-vivo mouse adipose tissue measurements using EIS and further data processing and classification using machine learning models.

• Spalla, Davide; Treves, Alessandro & Boccara, Charlotte (2022). Angular and linear speed cells in the parahippocampal circuits. Nature Communications. 13. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-29583-z. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract An essential role of the hippocampal region is to integrate information to compute and update representations. How this transpires is highly debated. Many theories hinge on the integration of self-motion signals and the existence of continuous attractor networks (CAN). CAN models hypothesise that neurons coding for navigational correlates – such as position and direction – receive inputs from cells conjunctively coding for position, direction, and self-motion. As yet, very little data exist on such conjunctive coding in the hippocampal region. Here, we report neurons coding for angular and linear velocity, uniformly distributed across the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC), the presubiculum and the parasubiculum, except for MEC layer II. Self-motion neurons often conjunctively encoded position and/or direction, yet lacked a structured organisation. These results offer insights as to how linear/angular speed – derivative in time of position/direction – may allow the updating of spatial representations, possibly uncovering a generalised algorithm to update any representation.

• Spalla, Davide; Treves, Alessandro & Boccara, Charlotte (2021). Angular and Linear Speed Cells in the Parahippocampal Circuits. BioRxiv. ISSN 0362-4331. doi: 10.1101/2021.01.28.428631. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte N; Nardin, Michele; Stella, Federico; O'Neill, Joseph & Csicsvari, Jozsef (2019). The entorhinal cognitive map is attracted to goals. Science. ISSN 0036-8075. 363(6434), p. 1443–1447. doi: 10.1126/science.aav4837. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Grid cells with their rigid hexagonal firing fields are thought to provide an invariant metric to the hippocampal cognitive map, yet environmental geometrical features have recently been shown to distort the grid structure. Given that the hippocampal role goes beyond space, we tested the influence of nonspatial information on the grid organization. We trained rats to daily learn three new reward locations on a cheeseboard maze while recording from the medial entorhinal cortex and the hippocampal CA1 region. Many grid fields moved toward goal location, leading to long-lasting deformations of the entorhinal map. Therefore, distortions in the grid structure contribute to goal representation during both learning and recall, which demonstrates that grid cells participate in mnemonic coding and do not merely provide a simple metric of space.

• Gofman, Xenia; Tocker, Gilad; Weiss, Shahaf; Boccara, Charlotte N; Lu, Li & Moser, May-Britt [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2019). Dissociation between postrhinal cortex and downstream parahippocampal regions in the representation of egocentric boundaries. Current Biology. ISSN 0960-9822. 29(16), p. 2751–2757.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.07.007. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Navigation requires the integration of many sensory inputs to form a multi-modal cognitive map of the environment, which is believed to be implemented in the hippocampal region by spatially tuned cells [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]. These cells encode various aspects of the environment in a world-based (allocentric) reference frame. Although the cognitive map is represented in allocentric coordinates, the environment is sensed through diverse sensory organs, mostly situated in the animal’s head, and therefore represented in sensory and parietal cortices in head-centered egocentric coordinates. Yet it is not clear how and where the brain transforms these head-centered egocentric representations to map-like allocentric representations computed in the hippocampal region. Theoretical modeling has predicted a role for both egocentric and head direction (HD) information in performing an egocentric-allocentric transformation [11, 12, 13, 14, 15]. Here, we recorded new data and also used data from a previous study [16]. Adapting a generalized linear model (GLM) classification [17]; we show that the postrhinal cortex (POR) contains a population of pure egocentric boundary cells (EBCs), in contrast with the conjunctive EBCs × HD cells, which we found downstream mostly in the parasubiculum (PaS) and in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC). Our finding corroborates the idea of a brain network performing an egocentric to allocentric transformation by HD cells. This is a fundamental building block in the formation of the brain’s internal cognitive map.

• O'Neill, Joseph; Boccara, Charlotte N; Stella, Federico; Schoenenberger, Philipp & Csicsvari, Jozsef (2017). Superficial layers of the medial entorhinal cortex replay independently of the hippocampus. Science. ISSN 0036-8075. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte Nina; Kjønigsen, Lisa Jannicke; Hammer, Ingvild Marie F.; Bjaalie, Jan G.; Leergaard, Trygve Brauns & Witter, Menno (2015). A three-plane architectonic atlas of the rat hippocampal region. Hippocampus. ISSN 1050-9631. 25(7), p. 838–857. doi: 10.1002/hipo.22407. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte Nina B.; Sargolini, Francesca; Thoresen, Veslemøy Hult; Solstad, Trygve; Witter, Menno & Moser, Edvard Ingjald [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2010). Grid cells in pre- and parasubiculum. Nature Neuroscience. ISSN 1097-6256. 13(8), p. 987–U112. doi: 10.1038/nn.2602. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Thoresen oppgir NTNU-adresse.

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• Holme, Andreas Næss; Moen, Line Victoria; Sallinen, Mikael; Nilsen, Kristian Bernhard; Boccara, Charlotte & Haugen, Fred [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Night Shift Work as an Arctic Hazard: Do Seasonal Light Extremes Affect Alertness, Sleepiness, and Fatigue? Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Introduction: Light is the primary entrainment mechanism (‘zeitgeber’) of the circadian clock. Its sensitivity to light means that seasonal changes in photoperiod can affect circadian entrainment in shift workers, potentially influencing their adaptation to night work. At high latitudes, such as the Arctic, extreme daylight variations across seasons provide a unique context for studying consequences of such light sensitivity. Polar nights and midnight sun may further challenge circadian entrainment mechanisms. Whether shift work and seasonal variations cumulate or combine their effect in the photoperiodic zeitgeber remains unclear. This study investigates how seasonal variations may interact with consecutive morning and night shifts to impact alertness, sleepiness and fatigue in shift workers. Methods: We recruited 112 three-shift process operators at 71°N, among which 81 participated during both the dark and light seasons. The work schedule included seven consecutive morning shifts and seven consecutive night shifts, separated by four rest days. Objective alertness was measured by the 3-minute Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT-B), using lapses (omissions ≥355ms) and response speed (inverse response time) as outcome variables. Subjective sleepiness and fatigue were assessed by the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) and a separate question to assess mental fatigue, respectively. Tests were conducted at the end of shift on days 1, 3, and 6 of each 7-day shift block. Data were analysed using multilevel linear mixed-effects regression models with season, shift type (morning/night) and consecutive workday number as fixed effects. Results: Night shifts were associated with lower alertness and higher levels of sleepiness and fatigue, especially on the first night shift, compared to morning shifts. Furthermore, the results indicated significant improvements in alertness and reduced sleepiness and fatigue over the consecutive six night shifts. There was no effect of season on any of the outcome variables. Conclusion: These findings suggest that while night shifts generally impair alertness, as well as increase sleepiness and fatigue, workers may gradually adapt over consecutive shifts, as evidenced by improvements by the sixth night. The lack of significant seasonal effects on sleepiness and fatigue suggests that workers might adapt equally well to night shifts regardless of the photoperiod.

• Bryne, Sandra Kristine Stølen; Dufour, Damien; Briand, Nolwenn & Boccara, Charlotte (2025). Does poor sleep during adolescence lead to metabolic disorders later in life? – Targeted chemogenetic models of sleep deprivation in mice. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Poor sleep and obesity are concurrent health epidemics in adolescents. This is especially concerning given that adolescents are getting less and less sleep as technology invades their bedrooms. Several studies point to adolescence as a critical period for sleep and adipose tissue development, implying that poor sleep during this period might alter the normal development of adipose tissue and cause metabolic imbalance. To investigate whether adolescent sleep quality contributes to the emergence of metabolic dysfunctions later in life, we propose to establish new rodent models of reversible sleep deprivation for which we can turn on and off sleep quality/quantity at specific developmental windows. Here we present preliminary data of our new chemogenetic model for which we can disturb sleep at specific time points between postnatal day P21 and P54 by targeting brain nuclei promoting wakefulness through the stimulation of GABAergic neurons in the ventral pallidum. We assessed the sleep amounts and quality of these animals by recording their neural (EEG) and muscular (EMG) activity. Metabolic parameters during and after sleep disturbances were assessed with metabolic cages (energy expenditure, respiratory exchange rate, food intake, weight, activity), adipose tissue histology and plasma collection (hormones and proteins). Our preliminary results indicate successful sleep deprivation concomitant with decreased respiratory exchange rate indicating a shift toward lipid oxidation as a primary energy source.

• Bryne, Sandra Kristine Stølen; Dufour, Damien; Briand, Nolwenn & Boccara, Charlotte (2025). Can poor sleep during adolescence lead to metabolic disorders later in life?- Targeted chemogenetic models of sleep deprivation in mice. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Obesity and poor sleep are concurrent health epidemics in adolescents. This is especially concerning given that adolescents are getting less and less sleep as technology invades their bedrooms. Several studies point to adolescence as a critical period for sleep and adipose tissue development, implying that poor sleep during this period might alter the normal development of adipose tissue. To investigate whether adolescent sleep quality contributes to the emergence of metabolic dysfunctions later in life, we propose to establish new rodent models of reversible sleep deprivation for which we can turn on/off sleep quality/quantity at specific developmental windows. Here we present preliminary data of our new chemogenetic model for which we can disturb sleep at specific time points between postnatal day P21 and P54 by targeting brain nuclei promoting wakefulness through the stimulation of GABAergic neurons in the ventral pallidum. We assessed the sleep amounts and quality of these animals by recording their neural (EEG) and muscular (EMG) activity. Metabolic parameters during and after sleep disturbances were assessed with metabolic cages (energy expenditure, respiratory exchange rate, food/water intake, weight), adipose tissue histology and plasma collection (hormones and proteins). Our preliminary results indicate successful sleep deprivation concomitant with decreased respiratory exchange rate indicating a shift toward lipid oxidation as a primary energy source.

• Holme, Andreas Næss; Moen, Line Victoria; Sallinen, Mikael; Nilsen, Kristian Bernhard; Boccara, Charlotte & Haugen, Fred [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2025). Night Work During Midnight Sun and Polar Nights: Impact on Alertness, Sleepiness and Fatigue. doi: 10.1055/s-0045-1812737. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Introduction: The circadian clock's sensitivity to light means that seasonal changes in photoperiod can affect circadian entrainment in shift workers, thus influencing their adaptation to night work. At high latitudes, such as the Arctic, extreme daylight variations across seasons, provide a unique context for studying such circadian disruption. Polar nights and midnight sun may further challenge circadian entrainment mechanisms. Whether shift work and seasonal variations cumulate or combine their effect in the photoperiodic zeitgeber remains unclear. This study investigates how seasonal variations may interact with consecutive morning and night shifts to impact alertness, sleepiness and fatigue. Methods: We recruited 112 three-shift process operators at 71°N, among which 84 participated during both the dark and light seasons. Their work schedule included blocks of seven consecutive morning shifts and seven consecutive night shifts, separated by four rest days. Alertness was measured by the 3-minute Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT-B), using lapses (omissions ≥355ms) and response speed (inverse response time) as outcome variables. Sleepiness was assessed by the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS). A separate question was used to assess mental fatigue. Tests were conducted at the end of the operators’ shift on days 1, 3, and 6 of each shift block. KSS was also assessed at the start and end of all shifts. Data were analyzed using multilevel mixed-effects regression models with season, shift type (morning/night) and consecutive workday number as fixed effects. Results: Night shifts were linked to lower alertness, as well as higher sleepiness and fatigue, especially on the first night shift. Interaction effects indicated improved response speed, fewer lapses, and reduced sleepiness and fatigue over six-night shifts, with significant differences between night 1 and night 6. These patterns were similar for both seasons across all variables. However, PVT-tests showed that the overall contrast between morning and night shifts was only significant during the dark season (response speed: p < 0.0001, lapses: p≈0.005), but not during the light season. Neither sleepiness, nor fatigue, were significantly affected by seasons. Conclusion: These findings suggest that while night shifts generally impair alertness, as well as increase sleepiness and fatigue, workers may gradually adapt over consecutive shifts, as evidenced by improvements by the sixth night. The lack of significant seasonal effects on sleepiness and fatigue suggests that workers might adapt equally well to night shifts regardless of the photoperiod. However, the more pronounced differences in alertness between morning and night shifts during the dark season highlight the potential interplay between reduced daylight’s influence on circadian rhythms and adaptability to work night shifts.

• Signorelli, Letizia; Korchynska, Solomiia & Boccara, Charlotte (2025). A robust pipeline for sleepscoring in developing rodents. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2024). New perspectives on sleep functions. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2024). Beyond space: Hippocampal representations of novelty and reward. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2024). Active memory system – Entorhinal replay during sleep. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte; Korchynska, Solomiia & Signorelli, Letizia (2024). Recording and analysing sleep and brain activity in laboratory rodents across development. Full text in Research Archive
• Korchynska, Solomiia; Signorelli, Letizia; Modi, Brijesh; Annavini, Eis; Okinina, Lina & Boccara, Charlotte (2024). MICROSTRUCTURE OF SLEEP AND SLEEP OSCILLATION DYNAMICS ACROSS DEVELOPMENT. Full text in Research Archive
• Bryne, Sandra Kristine Stølen; Dufour, Damien; Briand, Nolwenn & Boccara, Charlotte (2024). Inducible mouse models of adolescent sleep deprivation: the role of sleep in metabolic health. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2024). Different dynamics of learning in entorhinal and hippocampal cortices. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2024). Hippocampal and Cortical Dynamics across Learning and Development. Full text in Research Archive
• Modi, Brijesh; Korchynska, Solomiia; Okinina, Lina; Signorelli, Letizia & Boccara, Charlotte (2024). Maturation of Sharp Wave Ripples and Cortical Dynamics during Developmental Sleep. Full text in Research Archive
• Horn, Solveig; Modi, Brijesh & Boccara, Charlotte (2024). BEHAVIORAL METHODS TO INFER COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN RODENTS. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2024). The ERC, funding support for investigator-driven research in Europe. Full text in Research Archive
• Helmersen, Mats; Korchynska, Solomiia & Boccara, Charlotte (2024). Assessing social behaviour in developing rats. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte; Korchynska, Solomiia & Signorelli, Letizia (2024). Can we automatically discriminate between NREM 1 2 and 3 in rodents across their lifespan? Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte; Korchynska, Solomiia & Signorelli, Letizia (2024). Maturation of REM sleep neural dynamics across development. Full text in Research Archive
• Korchynska, Solomiia; Signorelli, Letizia; Modi, Brijesh; Annavini, Eis; Okinina, Lina & Boccara, Charlotte (2024). MICROSTRUCTURE OF SLEEP AND SLEEP OSCILLATION DYNAMICS ACROSS DEVELOPMENT. Full text in Research Archive
• Modi, Brijesh; Annavini, Eis & Boccara, Charlotte (2023). Benchmarking algorithms to automatically detect sharp wave ripples. Full text in Research Archive
• Modi, Brijesh; Annavini, Eis & Boccara, Charlotte (2023). Benchmarking algorithms to automatically detect sharp wave ripples. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte; Nardin, Michele; Stella, Federico & Csicsvari, Jozsef (2023). Learning and sleep: hippocampal-parahippocampal differential roles in updating and consolidating mnemonic traces. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2023). Research on rodents and significance as a model organism in studying sleep. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2023). How memories can be stored and modified: decoding hippocampal algorithms during learning and sleep. Full text in Research Archive
• Korchynska, Solomiia; Modi, Brijesh & Boccara, Charlotte (2023). Maturation of sleep architecture across development. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2023). Sleep: a new target for precision medicine. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte & Skrøder, Karoline (2023). Dårlig søvn: Kan ha sammenheng med ADHD og autisme. [Journal]. Oslo – VG. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2022). Decoding hippocampal representation. Full text in Research Archive
• Annavini, Eis; Korchynska, Solomiia; Babursah, Ela; Hafting, Torkel & Boccara, Charlotte (2022). A benchmark for sharp wave-ripple detection algorithms. Full text in Research Archive
• Korchynska, Solomiia; Annavini, Eis; Modi, Brijesh; Vharegui, Luca & Boccara, Charlotte (2022). Sleep architecture dynamics across the lifespan. Full text in Research Archive
• Annavini, Eis; Korchynska, Solomiia; Babursah, Ela; Hafting, Torkel & Boccara, Charlotte (2022). A benchmark for sharp wave-ripple detection algorithms. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2022). Panel discussion related to the path to research excellence. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2022). Uncovering the mechanisms linking sleep and health. [Internet]. Nordic EMBL Partnership website. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2022). Du er faktisk en mattenerd. [Internet]. forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2022). Natteangst: Slik får du sove. [Internet]. Dagbladet. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2022). Norske forskere: Hjernen din har superceller! [Internet]. VG. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2022). Goal encoding during sleep. Full text in Research Archive
• Korchynska, Solomiia; Annavini, Eis; Modi, Brijesh; Vharegui, Luca & Boccara, Charlotte (2022). Sleep architecture dynamics across the lifespan. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2021). Investigate the role of sleep in cognitive development. Full text in Research Archive
• Nardin, Michele; Stella, Federico; Boccara, Charlotte & Csicsvari, Jozsef (2021). Medial entorhinal cortex integrates hippocampal offine inputs into independent, persistent memory representations. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte & Stranden, Anne Lise (2021). De som sto opp en time tidligere, var mindre deprimerte. [Internet]. oslo. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte (2021). 167th WPI-IIS seminar. Full text in Research Archive
• Bojarskaite, Laura; Enger, Rune; Hu, Hua & Boccara, Charlotte (2020). Hvorfor sover vi? Full text in Research Archive
• Spalla, Davide; Treves, Alessandro & Boccara, Charlotte N (2020). Angular and Linear Velocity Coding in the Parahippocampal Circuits. Full text in Research Archive
• Davide, spalla; Treves, Alessandro & Boccara, Charlotte N (2020). Angular and Linear Velocity Coding in the Parahippocampal Circuits. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte N (2020). Goal distortion of grid cells. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte N (2020). Grid cell metrics and beyond: from network interactions to non-periodic firing. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte N; Hu, Hua; Enger, Rune & Bojarskaite, Laura (2020). Hvorfor sover vi? Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte N (2020). oreksin. Store Norske Leksikon (Nettutgaven). Full text in Research Archive
• JR., PER ASBJØRN RISNES & Boccara, Charlotte N (2020). Kan bedre søvn hjelpe barn med ADHD og lærevansker? [Internet]. https://forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte N (2020). non-REM-søvn. Store Norske Leksikon (Nettutgaven). Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte N (2020). søvnsyklus. Store Norske Leksikon (Nettutgaven). Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte N (2020). somnogener. Store Norske Leksikon (Nettutgaven). Full text in Research Archive
• Nardin, Michele; Stella, Federico; Boccara, Charlotte N & Csicsvari, Jozsef (2020). Distorted Entorhinal Maps Are Stabilized during Sleep while Hippocampal Maps are more Labile. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte N (2020). How reward and speed may shape the spatial code? Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte N (2020). How reward and speed shape spatial representation in the hippocampal region. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte N (2020). REM-søvn. Store Norske Leksikon (Nettutgaven). Full text in Research Archive
• JR., PER ASBJØRN RISNES & Boccara, Charlotte N (2020). Mindre søvn, mer problemer. [Internet]. https://www.forskningsdagene.no. Full text in Research Archive
• Birkelid, Ingrid Krokvid & Boccara, Charlotte N (2020). Seks timer søvn hver natt kan få alvorlige konsekvenser. [Internet]. klikk.no. Full text in Research Archive
• Dæhlen, Marte & Boccara, Charlotte N (2020). Hjernen vår spiller av hendelser på nytt når vi sover. [Internet]. https://forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte N (2020). Søvn. Store Norske Leksikon (Nettutgaven). doi: http:/snl.no/s%C3%B8vn. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte N & Yasinski, Emma (2019). Memories Can Distort the Brain’s GPS. [Journal]. https://www.the-scientist.com. Full text in Research Archive
• Cepelewicz, Jordana & Boccara, Charlotte N (2019). Goals and Rewards Redraw the Brain’s Map of the World. quanta magazine. ISSN 2640-2661. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte Nina B.; Moser, Edvard Ingjald & Moser, May-Britt (2010). Better understanding of mapmaking in the brain. [Internet]. Bionity.com. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte Nina B.; Moser, Edvard Ingjald & Moser, May-Britt (2010). Better understanding of mapmaking in the brain. [Internet]. EurekAlert!. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte Nina B.; Sargolini, Francesca; Hult, V; Solstad, Trygve; Witter, Menno & Moser, Edvard Ingjald [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2010). Quantitative analysis of grid cells in presubiculum, parasubiculum and medial entorhinal cortex. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte Nina B.; Sargolini, Francesca; Hult, V; Solstad, Trygve; Witter, Menno & Moser, Edvard Ingjald [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2010). Quantitative analysis of grid cells in presubiculum, parasubiculum and medial entorhinal cortex. Society for Neuroscience : Abstracts. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte Nina B.; Moser, Edvard Ingjald & Moser, May-Britt (2010). Grid cells to help understand mapmaking in brain discovered. [Internet]. IndiaVision. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte Nina B.; Moser, Edvard Ingjald & Moser, May-Britt (2010). Better understanding of mapmaking in the brain. [Internet]. PhysOrg.com. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte Nina B.; Moser, Edvard Ingjald & Moser, May-Britt (2010). Better understanding of mapmaking in the brain. [Internet]. Science Daily. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte Nina B.; Moser, Edvard Ingjald & Moser, May-Britt (2010). Grid cells to help understand mapmaking in brain discovered. [Internet]. Malaysia Sun. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte Nina B.; Moser, Edvard Ingjald & Moser, May-Britt (2010). Grid cells that help understand mapmaking in brain discovered. [Internet]. DNA India. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte Nina B.; Moser, Edvard Ingjald & Moser, May-Britt (2010). Grid cells to help understand mapmaking in brain discovered. [Internet]. NewKerala.com. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte Nina B.; Moser, Edvard Ingjald & Moser, May-Britt (2010). Study finds 'grid cells' that help brain map locations outside hippocampus. [Internet]. News-Medical.Net. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte Nina B.; Moser, Edvard Ingjald & Moser, May-Britt (2010). Grid cells to help understand mapmaking in brain discovered. [Internet]. Africa Leader. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte Nina B.; Moser, Edvard Ingjald & Moser, May-Britt (2010). Grid cells to help understand mapmaking in brain discovered. [Internet]. Indian Mirror. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte Nina B.; Moser, Edvard Ingjald & Moser, May-Britt (2010). Grid cells to help understand mapmaking in brain discovered. [Internet]. AndhraNews.net. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte; Einevoll, Gaute & Nikolaisen, Myrland, Henriette (2025). Methods for Sleep Deprivation in Laboratory Rodent Models: A Systematic Review. Norges miljø- og biovitenskapelige universitet (NMBU). Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Sleep is an essential and conserved biological function, yet its specific functions remain difficult to pinpoint, and much of our current knowledge on the subject comes from clinical studies. While these studies were essential to establish what general functions sleep may support, they often fail to identify the underlying mechanisms that explain why sleep is essential to health or demonstrate causal links between sleep issues and pathological outcomes. Rodent sleep deprivation models offer a unique opportunity to study these mechanisms and establish how sleep perturbations may directly cause dysfunction. However, rodent sleep deprivation methods to perturbate sleep differ in precision, efficiency and interpretability, and a comprehensive, comparative overview has been lacking. My aim with this thesis is to address that knowledge gap by systematically cataloguing and comparing different rodent sleep deprivation methods. I conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 100 papers and 161 experiments to compare mechanical paradigms, lesions, pharmacologic interventions, gene editing, optogenetics, and chemogenetics across wake, NREM and REM sleep. I quantified method effectiveness by sleep state and mapped typical brain area targets to identify how these choices may shape outcomes. The analyses reveal a precision-efficiency trade-off. Tools that target specific areas and circuits tend to be less efficient in wake and sleep-state changes, whereas broad approaches produce larger but less selective effects. I integrated these findings into a decision framework to align method selection with research aims, emphasizing state targeting goals, anatomical targeting and practical constraints. Overall, this thesis offers a structured, transparent comparison of rodent sleep deprivation tools, balancing precision against the magnitude and reliability of sleep state-specific effects. It sets the necessary framework to outline future priorities for sleep deprivation-based research that I predict likely to focus on naturalistic design, transparency and broader coverage across development and sex.

• Boccara, Charlotte & Gaupseth, Ane Mæsted (2025). Characterisation of Temperature Dynamics across Brain Development in Rodents. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte & Adrian, Engberg (2024). THE EFFECTS OF IN UTERO EXPOSURE TO ANTIDEPRESSANTS ON SLEEP ARCHITECTURE DEVELOPMENT. University of Copenhagen. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  BLC807

• Boccara, Charlotte; Gosse, Laure; Briand, Nolwenn & Dufour, Damien (2023). Innervation of adipose tissue in mice. Sorbone Universite. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte; Saigal, Ruchi; Korchynska, Solomiia & Komisarczuk, Anna Zofia (2023). Optimizing cellular tools to engineer a CRISPR-mediated REM-sleep deprivation model. OsloMet. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte & Rajagopal, Anjali (2022). Review of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators qualitative distribution across sleep stages: hypothesis to their role in generating specific sleep oscillations. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte & Babursah, Ela (2022). MASTER 1 NEUROSCIENCE Research Internship Report – A comparison of automatic sharp wave ripple detection algorithms. Université de Paris Cité. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte & Várhegyi, Luca (2021). Development of electrophysiological tools to record sleep across life stages. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive
• Boccara, Charlotte; Spalla, Davide & Treves, Alessandro (2020). Spatial neural coding. SISSA – International School for Advanced Studies. Full text in Research Archive
• Moser, May-Britt; Moser, Edvard Ingjald & Boccara, Charlotte Nina (2014). Spatial Coding in the Hippocampal Region. Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet. ISSN 9788232601233. Full text in Research Archive

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