A Thermopile Sensor Revealed That the Average Peripheral Wrist Skin Temperature of Patients with Major Depressive Disorder at 09:00 Is 2.9 °C Lower than That of Healthy People

Many patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) feel worse in the morning than in the evening. To clarify the differences in morning physiological characteristics between patients with MDD and healthy participants, a wearable device that measures peripheral wrist skin temperature and heart rate (HR) was adopted. The device incorporates a thermopile sensor to measure peripheral wrist skin temperature using infrared radiation emitted from the skin surface. In total, 30 patients diagnosed with MDD and 24 healthy individuals were recruited. From 00:00 to 12:00, participants wore a wrist-worn device on their non-dominant hand. It was discovered that, at 09:00, the average peripheral wrist skin temperature of patients with MDD was significantly lower (by 0.1% [2.9 °C]) than that of healthy individuals. The dramatic decrease in morning (09:00) peripheral wrist skin temperature in patients with MDD can be attributed to their morning sympathetic surge and peripheral vascular contraction. The average HR of patients with MDD was significantly higher (by 1% [17 beats/min]) than that of healthy controls. Regression analysis, including peripheral wrist skin temperature and HR at 09:00, showed 83.3% sensitivity and a negative predictive value of 76.2%. The potential impact of these results appears promising for future preliminary morning MDD screening.