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Published on: January 20, 2023
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The Interaction of Sleep and Mood During Recovery from Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Robin McGee1, Melanie A Montoya1, Jason Barber2
1Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
Neurotrauma Reports
|November 12, 2025
Summary
Depression may worsen insomnia after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Some patients develop persistent insomnia lasting over five years, highlighting the need for targeted interventions for TBI recovery.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
Background:
- Insomnia and depression are frequent co-occurring conditions following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).
- Understanding the long-term trajectories and interrelations of these conditions is crucial for effective patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate insomnia trajectories in the first year post-mTBI.
- To examine the temporal relationship between insomnia and depressive symptoms during recovery.
- To compare outcomes between mTBI patients and orthopedic controls (OTC).
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal cohort study using data from the Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in TBI (TRACK-TBI) study.
- Latent class growth analysis to identify insomnia trajectory classes.
- Random intercept cross-lagged panel models to assess lagged effects between insomnia and depression.
Main Results:
- Five distinct insomnia trajectory classes were identified in the first year post-mTBI, with 25% experiencing persistent insomnia.
- Depressive symptoms predicted worsening insomnia between 3 and 6 months post-injury.
- mTBI patients exhibited higher rates of insomnia and depressive symptoms compared to OTC, with some new-onset insomnia persisting for over 5 years.
Conclusions:
- Depressive symptoms may precede and exacerbate insomnia in the subacute recovery phase after mTBI.
- A significant subset of mTBI patients may develop chronic insomnia, necessitating long-term monitoring and treatment.
- Findings underscore the complex interplay between TBI, depression, and insomnia, impacting recovery trajectories.
