Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026

Association Between Sleep Quality and Cognitive Symptoms in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder
Published on: April 26, 2024
Insomnia does not appear to be associated with substantial structural brain changes
Kai Spiegelhalder1, Wolfram Regen, Chiara Baglioni
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Germany. Kai.Spiegelhalder@uniklinik-freiburg.de
Study Objectives:
Sleep has been demonstrated to significantly modulate brain plasticity and the manifestation of mental disorders. However, previous studies on the effect of disrupted sleep on brain structure have reported inconsistent results. The goal of the current study was to investigate brain morphometry in a well-characterized large sample of patients with primary insomnia (PI) in comparison with good sleeper controls.
Design:
Automated parcellation and pattern recognition approaches were supplemented by voxelwise analyses of gray and white matter volumes to analyze magnetic resonance images. All analyses included age, sex, and total intracranial volume as covariates.
Setting:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the University of Freiburg Medical Center.
Participants:
There were 28 patients with PI (10 males; 18 females; age 43.7 ± 14.2 y) and 38 healthy, good sleepers (17 males; 21 females; age 39.6 ± 8.9 y).
Interventions:
N/A.
Results:
No significant between-group differences were observed in any of the investigated brain morphometry variables.
Conclusions:
Altered brain function in insomnia does not appear to have a substantial effect on brain morphometry on a macroscopic level.
More Related Videos
06:23A Chronic Sleep Fragmentation Model using Vibrating Orbital Rotor to Induce Cognitive Deficit and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Young Wild-Type Mice
Published on: September 22, 2020
08:20Measuring Neural Mechanisms Underlying Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation During Naps in Early Childhood
Published on: October 2, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Insomnia
Multiple factors contribute...
Sleep-Wake Cycles
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:
Management of Insomnia
Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation is a more severe form of sleep loss...
Narcolepsy
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology