Michel Valentin Marcel Jouvet (16 November 1925 – 3 October 2017) was a French
neuroscientist and medical researcher.
His works, and those of his team, have brought about the discovery of
paradoxical sleep (a term he coined
) and to its individualisation as the third state of functioning of the brain (1959), to the discovery of its
phylogenesis
Phylogenesis (from Greek φῦλον ''phylon'' "tribe" + γένεσις ''genesis'' "origin") is the biological process by which a taxon (of any rank) appears. The science that studies these processes is called phylogenetics.
These terms may be ...
, of its
ontogenesis
Ontogeny (also ontogenesis) is the origination and development of an organism (both physical and psychological, e.g., moral development), usually from the time of fertilization of the egg to adult. The term can also be used to refer to the st ...
and its main mechanisms. Jouvet was the researcher who first developed the
analeptic
An analeptic, in medicine, is a central nervous system stimulant. The term "analeptic" typically refers to respiratory analeptics (for example, doxapram). Analeptics are central nervous system (CNS) stimulants that include a wide variety of medic ...
drug
Modafinil.
Career
Jouvet was Professor of Experimental Medicine at the
University of Lyon. He was Director of the Research Unit INSERM U 52 (
Molecular Onirology) and of the Associated Unit UA 1195 of the CNRS (states of vigilance
neurobiology
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developme ...
). He spent one year in the laboratory of Horace Magoun in
Long Beach, California in 1955.
He then undertook research in both experimental
neurophysiology
Neurophysiology is a branch of physiology and neuroscience that studies nervous system function rather than nervous system architecture. This area aids in the diagnosis and monitoring of neurological diseases. Historically, it has been dominated ...
at the Faculty of Medicine of Lyon and
clinical neurophysiology
Clinical neurophysiology is a medical specialty that studies the central and peripheral nervous systems through the recording of bioelectrical activity, whether spontaneous or stimulated. It encompasses both research regarding the pathophysiology ...
at the Neurological Hospital of Lyon.
He described the
electroencephalogram signs of cerebral death in 1959, and in 1961 categorized
sleep
Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and body. It is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited Perception, sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is distinguished from wakefuln ...
into two different states: telencephalic (slow wave) sleep and rhombencephalic sleep (paradoxical sleep, known as REM sleep in English-language writings on the subject). He mapped the areas of the brain that are responsible for REM.
His review "Paradoxical sleep mechanisms" was published in the journal ''Sleep'' in 1994.
In ''The Paradox of Sleep'' (MIT Press, 1999) Jouvet proposed the speculative theory that the purpose of
dreaming is a kind of iterative neurological programming that works to preserve an individual's psychological heredity, the basis of personality. He also wrote a novel, ''The Castle of Dreams''.
In 1959, Jouvet conducted several experiments on
cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
s regarding muscle atonia (
paralysis) during
REM sleep. Jouvet demonstrated that the generation of REM sleep depends on an intact
pontine tegmentum and that REM atonia is due to an inhibition of motor centres in the
medulla oblongata. Cats with
lesions
A lesion is any damage or abnormal change in the tissue of an organism, usually caused by disease or trauma. ''Lesion'' is derived from the Latin "injury". Lesions may occur in plants as well as animals.
Types
There is no designated classifi ...
around the
locus coeruleus have less restricted muscle movement during REM sleep, and show a variety of complex behaviours including motor patterns suggesting that they are dreaming of attack, defence and exploration. Jouvet's research led to the identification of REM sleep behavior disorder.
Honors and awards
He was elected in 1977 to the
French Academy of Sciences and received the Intra-Sciences Prize in the
United States in 1981 and the Prize of the Foundation for the Medical Research in 1983. In 1991 he was awarded the prestigious
Prix mondial Cino Del Duca
The Prix mondial Cino Del Duca (Cino Del Duca World Prize) is an international literary award. With an award amount of , it is among the richest literary prizes.
Origins and operations
It was established in 1969 in France by Simone Del Duca (1 ...
.
The Sleep Research Society presented him with its Distinguished Scientist Award in 1990.
In June 2003, Jouvet was recognized at the 17th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).
Death
Jouvet died at age 91.
See also
*
Eugene Aserinsky
*
William C. Dement
*
Nathaniel Kleitman
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jouvet, Michel Valentin Marcel
1925 births
2017 deaths
Electroencephalographers
People from Lons-le-Saunier
French educators
French medical researchers
Sleep researchers
Dream
Members of the French Academy of Sciences
French neuroscientists