Bethesda, Mar. — The Geneva Foundation (Geneva) has received a $5 million award from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) to support Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Kent Werner, and his initiative to enhance sleep quality and combat sleep disorders in Service Members and Veterans. This project, titled INSIGHT – Insomnia, Nightmares, and Sympathetic Hyperactivity InvestiGation in the warfigHTer, is a collaboration with the USU departments of Neurology, Cardiology, Psychiatry, Psychology, and Radiology, and the University of Minnesota, the Sleep Center at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and the Henry Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine. The program aims to:
The program aims to:
1) Measure sympathetic nervous system hyperactivity, also known as the “fight or flight” system, in individuals with insomnia and traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress (PTS), and also in healthy individuals and;
2) modulate sympathetic hyperactivity via a wearable device that provides gentle vibrations during sleep when it detects heart rate spikes to improve sleep quality in warfighters with TBI and/or PTS.
This project includes an unprecedented combination of commercial and prototype wearable instruments to monitor and characterize the autonomic system in the warfighter population. Gold-standard measuring tools like in-lab polysomnogram (PSG; a sleep study), MRI, and an extensive list of cognitive tests and blood and urine biomarkers will be collected to quantify autonomic system changes observed in these populations.
This project also involves a strategic partnership with leading technology vendors that will significantly elevate the project. NightWare, Inc. will lend its support to this project with its innovative technologies dedicated to addressing sleep disruptions via a NightWare watch that will detect heart rate spikes and implement vibrational haptic feedback as an intervention to autonomic activity spikes. Medibio, an Australian-based mental health technology company, will provide pioneering technologies for the early detection and screening of mental health conditions. These collaborations will equip us with the advanced tools needed to achieve our project objectives and substantially impact the critical areas of sleep in the Warfighter population.
This study will validate novel technologies and wearable devices that characterize autonomic (sympathetic and parasympathetic) hyperactivity. Wearable devices include the Oura Ring and Sleep Image Ring to monitor heart rate and sleep physiology; the Omron device to measure blood pressure during sleep; the Empatica EmbracePlus smartwatch to track sleep and electrodermal activity (EDA) that reflects the activity of the sweat glands on skin; the Dreem headset used as an electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure brain electrical signals, comparable to PSG; the Huxley device to function as an electrocardiogram (ECG) for detailed electrophysiological data; and the Pison device to track electromyography (EMG) or neuromuscular electrical activity during sleep.
Moreover, this study will assess changes in norepinephrine and epinephrine in urine to measure the signaling molecules of the sympathetic nervous system. Advanced imaging techniques with a wearable device and the world’s fastest MRI, the MAGNUS, will be employed to track the brain’s glymphatic waste clearance system in the brain. Ingestible thermometer pills will track internal temperature in a subset of the participant population. All these measurements will be compared to self-reports of symptoms and cognitive testing to provide comprehensive insights into psychological and cognitive health in the home environment while tracking sleep-related physiology. Ultimately, this work will yield a new understanding of the characteristics of healthy and insomnia populations while developing a new paradigm for testing new therapeutic interventions, such as the nonpharmacologic “NightWare” device.
Geneva is pivotal in this project, providing program management, regulatory support, data management, administrative experience, and a team of experienced research staff and scientists fully dedicated to the project. This comprehensive support from Geneva is instrumental in facilitating the progression and success of the study.
Disclaimer: The views expressed do not reflect the official policy of the Army, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
About The Geneva Foundation
The Geneva Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that facilitates partnerships between researchers and public and private organizations. For over 30 years, Geneva has been a dynamic accelerator of scientific discovery and a steadfast partner in conducting military medical research and development. Geneva provides proposal development, financial and contract administration, and award management services designed to secure funding and foster innovative research of specific relevance to the DOD community. Our purpose is to ensure optimal health for service members and the communities they serve.
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