Real-Time Melatonin Monitor to Diagnose Sleep Disorder

描述（由申请人提供）：随着老年人口的不断增长，监测与年龄相关的生理相关因素变得越来越重要。与年龄相关的一个主要问题与睡眠的数量和质量有关。许多商业设备监测生理夜间活动（即活动图、脑电图、肌电图、眼电图、呼吸等），然而，没有商业设备可用于连续、无创、近实时监测血液中的化学物质。松果体激素，褪黑激素，遵循一个典型的昼夜节律时间模式。血浆褪黑激素浓度被用作睡眠的相关指标，外源性应用已被用于改善睡眠的质量和数量。当代关于褪黑素对睡眠的因果影响的研究需要抽取血液、唾液或尿液，然而，这些技术都需要受试者付出努力，导致与正常睡眠模式的偏离。在这个二期项目中，AST建议制造一个连续的、近实时的、无创的监视器

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): With an ever-growing elderly population, it is becoming increasingly important to monitor physiological correlates associated with age. One major problem associated with age revolves around quantity and quality of sleep. Many commercial devices monitor physiometric nocturnal activity (i.e. actigraphy, EEG, EMG, EOG, respiration, etc.), however, there are no commercial devices available for continuous, non-invasive, near real-time monitoring of chemicals in the blood. The pineal hormone, melatonin, follows a characteristic circadian temporal pattern. Plasma melatonin concentrations are utilized as a correlate indicating sleep, and exogenous application has been utilized in the attempt to improve the quality and quantity of sleep. Contemporary studies on the causal effects of melatonin on sleep require drawing of blood, saliva, or urine, however, each of these techniques require effort on the part of the subject, causing deviation from normal sleep patterns. In this Phase II project, AST proposes to fabricate a continuous, near real-time, non-invasive monitor for blood borne chemicals, including melatonin (as well as a myriad of other biological molecules), obtained during activity or sleep. This device will be amenable to mass screening of the elderly (and pediatric) population, with the potential for actuator regulated exogenous melatonin administration. The device is also applicable to the monitoring of glucose with closed-loop controlled injection of insulin in the attempt to achieve euglycemia at all times.