Sleep, Anesthesia & Neuromodulation Devices Laboratory (SAND Lab)
Improving brain health in the operating room and intensive care unit with precision neuromonitoring and neuromodulation.
Vision, Mission & Values
Vision
Optimized brain health in the perioperative and critical care environments.
Mission
Develop brain computer interfaces that precisely quantify and modulate brain states using a combination of drug infusions and neurostimulation in the operating room and intensive care unit.
Values
A deep respect for neuro-variability across patients, and an obligation to protect patients’ consciousness and cognitive functions through the challenges of surgery and critical illness.
Themes & Expertise
Project Themes
- Tracking brain states during sleep, sedation and general anesthesia
- Neuromodulation of sleep, sedation and general anesthesia
- Awareness during sedation and intended general anesthesia
- Anesthetics & cerebral metabolism
- Accelerating recovery from anesthesia and improving postoperative cognitive outcomes
Expertise
- Translational neuroscience studies with healthy volunteers
- Observational and interventional studies in clinical settings
- Clinical electroencephalography
- Closed loop systems
People
Christian Guay, MD, MS
Director & Principal Investigator
Dr. Guay is a board-certified cardiac anesthesiologist and intensivist, currently serving as Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine at the University of Utah. He completed his clinical training at Washington University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. He received postdoctoral training in neurosciences at the Montreal Neurological Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Anesthesiology, British Journal of Anaesthesia and Anesthesia & Analgesia, and has been covered in popular media such as National Geographic and Scientific American.
Collaborators
- Emery N. Brown, M.D., Ph.D. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard Medical School)
- Ben J.A. Palanca, M.D., Ph.D (Washington University in St. Louis)
- Nir Grossman, Ph.D. (Imperial College London)
- Kai Kuck, Ph.D. (University of Utah)
- Jan Kubanek, Ph.D. (University of Utah)
Actively recruiting Engineers, Postdocs, Research Assistants, Fellows, Residents, & Students.
Selected Publications
Guay CS, Hight D, Gupta G, Kafashan M, Luong AH, Avidan MS, Brown EN, Palanca BJA. Breathe-squeeze: pharmacodynamics of a stimulus-free behavioural paradigm to track conscious states during sedation(☆). Br J Anaesth. 2023 May;130(5):557-566. doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2023.01.021. Epub 2023 Mar 24. PubMed PMID: 36967282.
Guay CS, Labonte AK, Montana MC, Landsness EC, Lucey BP, Kafashan M, Haroutounian S, Avidan MS, Brown EN, Palanca BJA. Closed-Loop Acoustic Stimulation During Sedation with Dexmedetomidine (CLASS-D): Protocol for a Within-Subject, Crossover, Controlled, Interventional Trial with Healthy Volunteers. Nat Sci Sleep. 2021;13:303-313. doi: 10.2147/NSS.S293160. eCollection 2021. PubMed PMID: 33692642.
Guay CS, Avidan MS. No Brain Is an Island. Anesth Analg. 2020 Jun;130(6):1568-1571. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000004704. PubMed PMID: 32384346.
Guay CS, Kafashan M, Huels ER, Jiang Y, Beyoglu B, Spencer JW, Geczi K, Apakama G, Ju YS, Wildes TS, Avidan MS, Palanca BJA. Postoperative Delirium Severity and Recovery Correlate With Electroencephalogram Spectral Features. Anesth Analg. 2023 Jan 1;136(1):140-151. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000006075. Epub 2022 May 13. PubMed PMID: 36130079.
Guay CS, Plourde G. Handgrip dynamometry for continuous assessment of volitional control during induction of anesthesia: a prospective observational study. Can J Anaesth. 2019 Jan;66(1):48-56. doi: 10.1007/s12630-018-1224-x. Epub 2018 Sep 18. PubMed PMID: 30229542.
Contact the SAND Lab
Christian.Guay@hsc.utah.edu
(+1) 801-587-4800
30 N. Mario Capecchi Dr., Room 5N231
Salt Lake City, UT, 84112