U-RHYTHM-BD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Circadian rhythms of metabolic biomarkers in bipolar (U-RHYTHM-BD)
IRAS ID
364609
Contact name
Daniel Smith
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Many aspects of metabolism (the set of chemical reactions that produce energy in the body) fluctuate throughout the day based on the body's natural 24-hour patterns. These patterns (or "circadian rhythms") are known to be disrupted in people with bipolar. More research is needed to determine whether fluctuations in metabolic markers may be linked to changes in people's mental health symptoms.
In this small pilot study, we will use a new device that has been recently developed for medical research. This device, called U-RHYTHM, is installed on the waist and can collect and store small samples of interstitial fluid (which is present in the spaces between cells of many tissues, including just under the skin) continuously throughout a single day. This device can be worn while carrying on with most routine activities and does not require an overnight hospital stay, so it can give us new and important information about how people’s metabolic markers may fluctuate while they are going about their day. Our main goal is to understand if people with bipolar can comfortably and consistently wear this device for a full day.
We will recruit 10 people with bipolar and 10 people with no history of mental health conditions to wear the device for a full day. Participants will also provide information on their mental health throughout this day via a smartphone app. Once the device is removed, participants will provide feedback on their experience of wearing it.
We will analyse the samples collected by the device to determine how metabolic markers may vary over the course of a single day in people with bipolar, whether these variations are different from people with no mental health conditions, and whether this metabolic variation may correlate with people’s mental health symptoms.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
26/NS/0003
Date of REC Opinion
8 Feb 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion