Personalized Optimal Regulation of Circadian Rhythms and Related Processes
Abstract
Disruption of the circadian rhythms is known to have negative impacts on health, ranging from fatigue in travelers with jetlag to an increased risk of cancer in rotating shift workers. Further, malalignment of the circadian phase and related neurobehavioral states, such as alertness, with the timing of critical tasks may lead to lower performance and higher risk of failure. Modern lifestyle poses a number of challenges in maintaining a healthy circadian rhythm, such as the proliferation of bright light during nighttime and the working-from-home situation that blurs the boundary between work and personal time. Dysregulation of the circadian rhythm can also be caused by other clinical factors, such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). TBI has been known to impact the subjectÕs sleep quality. Mild TBI, in particular, is also tied to chronic pain, which itself is subject to circadian rhythmicity. Thus, the study of how to regulate circadian rhythms, sleep, and the related processes have the potential to help detect and mitigate the impacts of TBI. Regulation of circadian rhythms and the sleep process leads to interesting problems that can be expressed as optimal control problems. The objective of the optimization is to entrain the circadian rhythm as quickly as possible, or to maximize neurocognitive performance during a prescribed performance interval. However, the existing solutions have two critical limitations. First, they are based on mathematical models of the circadian rhythm and neurocognitive dynamics that were derived from population average data. Thus, when used for individuals, there is certainly model mismatch. Second, they lack feedback from the subject. For example, optimal lighting, sleep, and pharmaceutical intake schedules are computed ahead of time and recommended to the subject prior to a transmeridian travel. The lack of feedback loop exacerbates the problem of model mismatch and makes the procedure susceptible to unmodeled and unmeasured inputs. The goal of the project that we propose is to develop personalized optimal regulation strategies for circadian rhythms and the related processes, including in the context of detecting and mitigating the impacts of mild TBI. A large part of our approach will be data-driven, leveraging the availability of biometric signals from the subjects. To reach this goal, we will pursue a research program that is organized towards the following objectives: 1. Evaluating and enhancing robustness of optimal regulation of circadian rhythms and the related processes under model uncertainties. 2. Developing algorithms for learning and adaptation in optimal regulation of circadian rhythms and related processes. 3. Developing algorithms for detecting and mitigating the impacts of mild Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) on circadian rhythms and related processes. In our effort, we will use and develop tools from calculus of variations, optimization theory, machine learning, statistical decision making, and published data and mathematical models of the processes mentioned above.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 03, 2022
- Source ID
- W911NF2210039
Entities
People
- Anak Agung Julius
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- United States Army