The Neuroimaging Study On Brain Structure Changes Of The Chronic Insomnia In Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Objective Voxel-Based Morphometry(VBM)and Voxel-Based Analysis(VBA)were used to investigate the gray matter volume and white matter fiber bundle integrity of patients with chronic insomnia from the whole brain level.Method In this study,35 patients with chronic insomnia were enrolled,and 35 patients in the normal sleep control group were selected.The Self-Rating Scale of Sleep(SRSS),Pittsburgh sleep quality index(PSQI),Insomnia Severity Index(ISI),Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD)and Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA)to assess sleep quality and anxiety and depression.At the same time,Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI)scan was performed to obtain T1-weighted image to observe the gray matter volume,and the obtained Diffusion Tensor Imaging(DTI)was processed to obtain a Fractional Anisotropy(FA)map to evaluate white matter fiber bundle integrity.Using SPM8 software,T1 weighted image data was analyzed by VBM,and FA data was analyzed by VBA,and then two-sample t-test was performed to obtain statistically significant brain regions.MRIcro,MRIcro N,and xjview software were used to observe the changes in the gray matter volume of the brain and the changes in the integrity of the white matter fiber bundle in patients with chronic insomnia.At the same time,the gray matter volume and white matter FA value of the different brain regions were analyzed and correlated with the clinical scale.Results Compared with the normal sleep control group,the brain area with reduced gray matter volume in patients with chronic insomnia is mainly concentrated in the left superior lateral forefront,the frontal lobes(left superior,right superior、middle、inferior),left precuneus,left middle occipital gyrus,bilateral inferior temporal gyrus and left inferior parietal gyrus(P < 0.05,FWE correction);and brain regions with reduced white matter FA values were mainly concentrated in the external capsule and uncinate fasciculus,followed by brain tissue around parahipocampus,amygdala and the insula(P < 0.05,FWE correction).Gray matter volume in the left occipital gyrus was negatively correlated with SRSS score(r =-0.482,P = 0.003),and left precuneus gray matter volume was negatively correlated with SRSS score(r=-0.358,P=0.035).Conclusions The gray matter volume and white matter fiber bundle integrity of multiple brain regions of patients with chronic insomnia change,because these brain regions are mainly related to emotional or cognitive disorders,which may be the key to the pathogenesis of chronic insomnia.