As reported by Science Daily, a new study of insomniacs found that the brains of insomnia patients functioned differently (no real surprise if they’re starved of sleep) and looked different.
The study found that the gray matter in certain regions of the brain had a reduced density in insomnia sufferers. In the worst cases of insomnia, the density in the orbitofrontal cortex was particularly reduced – although the study couldn’t determine whether this ‘abnormality’ is a cause of insomnia, or an effect.
This is definitely an interesting study and we’d recommend you give it a read – fingers crossed we’ll be seeing similar studies examining the cause and effects of insomnia in the future.
Of course, we’ll report on such studies whenever we come across them.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s fascinating the scientifically hypothetical idea that brain chemistry and neural pathways are involved in insomnia–or can be used to alleviate it.
Agreed – this is the kind of research I really like reading about.