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Updated: May 7, 2026

Association Between Sleep Quality and Cognitive Symptoms in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder
Published on: April 26, 2024
Neuroimaging studies in insomnia
Kai Spiegelhalder1, Wolfram Regen, Chiara Baglioni
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Hauptstraße 5, 79104, Freiburg, Germany, Kai.Spiegelhalder@uniklinik-freiburg.de.
Abstract:
Chronic insomnia is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders and has a significant impact on individual's health. However, the pathophysiology of the disorder is poorly understood. The current review focuses on neuroimaging findings in insomnia. In summary, the current data suggest the following: (1) insomnia is characterized by corticolimbic overactivity during sleep and wakefulness that interferes with sleep initiation and/or maintenance; (2) insomnia patients' daytime performance is associated with a hypoactivation of task-related areas; (3) neurochemically, insomnia patients are probably characterized by reduced cortical GABA levels; (4) insomnia may be associated with abnormal brain morphometry in the frontal cortex, hippocampus and/or anterior cingulate cortex. Future investigations should include larger sample sizes or longitudinal within-subject comparisons. Other possible methodological improvements are discussed.
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