Release date: 2016-04-06
Using a high-end MRI technique, researchers have discovered anomalies in the white matter bundles in the brains of patients with insomnia. The results of the study have been published online in Radiology.
Basic insomnia, that is, patients who fall asleep or maintain sleep for up to a month or longer, are associated with daytime fatigue, poor mood, and cognitive impairment. Insomnia can also lead to depression or anxiety.
"Insomnia is a very common disease," said Li Shumei, a researcher from the Medical Imaging Department of Guangdong Second People's Hospital. "However, the causes and consequences of insomnia are always unclear."
For this study, the research team led by Li Shumei and Jiang Guihua began to analyze the relationship between white matter bundles in insomnia patients and abnormal white matter integrity and duration and characteristics of insomnia.
"The white matter bundle is a bunch of axons or long fibers of nerve cells that connect part of the brain to another part," Li Shumei said. "If the white matter bundle is damaged, communication between brain regions is interrupted."
The study included 23 patients with underlying insomnia and 30 normal healthy controls. To assess mental status and sleep patterns, each participant completed a number of questionnaires, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, self-evaluation anxiety levels, and self-evaluation depression levels.
Each participant also undergoes brain MRI using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) techniques. DTI enables researchers to analyze patterns of water movement around the white matter bundle to identify loss of white matter bundle integrity.
“We used a new method called beam tracing spatial statistics that is highly sensitive to the microstructure of the white matter beam and provides a variety of diffusion measurements,†says Li Shumei.
The results of the analysis showed that the white matter integrity of some of the right cerebral regions and the thalamus, the main regulatory sensation, sleep and sensation, was significantly reduced compared with healthy controls.
"The damaged white matter bundles are mainly involved in regulating sleep and wakefulness, cognitive function and sensorimotor function," Li Shumei said.
In addition, abnormalities in the thalamus and corpus callosum (the largest white matter structure in the brain) are associated with the duration of insomnia and self-reported depression levels.
"The involvement of the thalamus in the pathology of insomnia is particularly critical because the thalamus dominates the vital components of the body's biological clock," she added.
The study also found that the underlying cause of abnormal white matter integrity in patients with insomnia may be myelin loss, which is a protective layer around nerve fibers.
Researchers have warned that further larger samples of research are needed to clarify the relationship between white matter integrity changes and insomnia.
Source: Noble
Medical protective clothing refers to the protective clothing used by medical personnel (doctors, nurses, public health personnel, cleaning personnel, etc.) and people entering specific medical and health areas (such as patients, hospital visitors, personnel entering infected areas, etc.). Its function is to isolate germs, harmful ultrafine dust, acid and alkaline solutions, electromagnetic radiation, etc., to ensure the safety of personnel and keep the environment clean.
protective clothing,personal protection,disposable surgical protective clothing
Shanghai Rocatti Biotechnology Co.,Ltd , https://www.shljdmedical.com