NeuroBehavioral Tool for Assessment of Sleep Structure in Psychiatric Disorders

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall goal of this project is to develop a novel neuro-behavioral research/clinical tool (SleepMedic ) for quantitative analysis of brainwave (electroencephalogram, EEG) during overnight sleep (to monitor sleep architecture and quality), and during waking hours ( to quantify daytime sleepiness), in patients with psychiatric disorders. SleepMedic will consist of a number of innovative modules including a novel miniaturized and wearable EEG acquisition/processing hardware (in conformable shapes for more convenient sleep), new signal processing techniques for automatic EEG sleep characterization, novel no-prep electrodes harness for easy sensor attachment, and a highly-quantitative neurobehavioral test of sleepiness. The intention is to develop a device that would enable the patients to self-administer a convenient and reliable sleep study at home over an extended period of time. The major rationale for developing SleepMedic is that psychiatric illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, are strongly associated with disruption to sleep structure including insomnia whose symptoms include abnormalities in sleep onset, sleep maintenance, sleep quality, and next day functioning. However, lack of readily available objective tools assisting the diagnosis and monitoring management of insomnia in these patient populations, especially taken together with the abuse potential of sleep aid medications, has left many afflicted individuals either untreated, under-diagnosed, or overmedicated. SleepMedic will attempt to answer this need by providing the mental health researchers and practitioners with a cost-effective and practical means for convenient and long-term monitoring and clinical management of sleep disruptions, insomnia, and daytime hyper-somnolence. During this Phase I period, all aspects of the device (hardware, algorithm, electrode attachment) will be designed, fabricated, and clinically evaluated in a limited number of sleep studies in normal subjects and psychiatric patients. Phase II will entail comprehensive clinical studies in psychiatric patients to quantify their sleep structure and to track their medication efficacy. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The neuro-behavioral research/clinical tool that will be developed in this project SleepMedic will provide the mental health researchers and practitioners with a cost-effective and practical means for convenient and long-term monitoring and clinical management of sleep disruptions, insomnia, and daytime sleepiness that are strongly associated with psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety. SleepMedic will consist of an easily wearable (conformable shape for more convenient sleep), fully-automatic device that can be used by the patient and/or caregiver to study night-time sleep quality and daytime sleepiness over an extended period of time.