Brain Function Research Group

23/10/2026

How did loadshedding affect your sleep?

Karine and Josh Davimes investigated this question for students at Wits. Read their article in the Conversation to find out more.

Poor sleep and poor studying went together. Students who slept worse were more likely to report lower grades and to arrive late for class.

23/09/2026

The Sleep Lab had a wonderful time at the 3rd Congress of the South African Society for Sleep and Health ( https://sassh.org.za ) 19-21 September with Patane, Oli and Aashna presenting their PhD and MSc results on sleep, HIV and cardiovascular risk (Patane), on OSA prevalence and screening in People living with HIV (Oli) and on aging, sleep health and HIV in rural South African older adults (Aashna). Thabi and Lerato presented on sleep and mental health in SA emergency room medical doctors and ambulance personnel. Karine delivered a keynote on melatonin function, regulation and rhythm and our collaborator Josh Davimes a keynote on 'The sleepless chain, shiftwork, and mental health from training into emergency care'.
It was a rich congress, with a particularly poignant session on Monday covering 'Sleep in context', where we heard about adolescents' and women's disrupted sleep because they live in fear of their environment and how traditional healers in KwaZulu natal deal with Ukuqwasha ('sleeplessness') in their patients.

04/09/2026

Thank you to Trevor Nyakudya for being our guest speaker and judge at the BFRG Research Day. And congrats to all who participated and delivered excellent talks. The prize winners were: 1st - Chanel, 2nd - Courtney, 3rd - Valery!

31/08/2026

The South African Neuroscience Society Conference will take place in Cape Town between the 17th and 19th September 2026. It's great to see two "BFRG representatives" in the plenary speakers - Peter and Rachael (BFRG alumnus)!

25/08/2026

Exciting news is that we have several students who will soon be gracing the steps of the Great Hall, following minor revisions. Examiners reports, with positive results, are in for:

Hannah Southwood (MSc)
Oliver Kieser (MSc, with distinction)
Dhuriya Cajee (MSc)
Khaalid Khan (PhD)

Congrats to all, and to the supervisors. More details to follow on completion.

18/07/2026

We’re delighted that Professor Trevor Nyakudya will be our guest speaker and judge of the student talks at our Research Day on Friday 4 September.

30/06/2026

It's always great to hear from our former postgraduates' successes - congratulations to 'Tosin, who has now become Prof Olorunmoteni as she was recently promoted to Associate Professor at Obafemi Awolowo University.

27/06/2026

Sometimes our postgraduate students are a bit further away and need to make an extra effort to pursue their degree. So congratulations to Thendo, who while doing his medical internship in Nelspruit, decided to start his MSc Med as he is passionate about research. This week, he came to Johannesburg for his protocol assessment. It was the first time 2 of his supervisors met him in person and not through a Teams meeting :) He will be investigating 'Cardiometabolic risk in young adults living in rural South Africa: association with HIV status and subjective sleep quality', supervised by Nkazi (currently doing her PhD), Xavier Gomez-Olive and Karine. Official welcome to the BFRG Thendo!

10/06/2026

Lovely to see our PhD alumnus, Clifford Woolf, receive this recognition. See the linked article in the Wits post.

Congratulations to Wits alumni Professor Glenda Gray and Professor Clifford Woolf on being elected as 2026 Fellows of the Royal Society, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious scientific academies. Their recognition celebrates the highest standards of scientific excellence and reflects the global impact of Wits graduates in advancing research, discovery, and innovation. 💙🏛️

Read More: https://ow.ly/JPg050Z9QEC

04/06/2026