0300 Comparison of Sleep Disturbance and Quantitative Volumetric MRI Measures in Veterans With and Without History of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)

Abstract Introduction Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) has received considerable clinical and research attention in recent years. Scientific reviews have determined that upwards of 70% of individuals who experience mTBI may later report having trouble sleeping with over 50% of patients reporting insomnia. Observed estimates of sleep disturbance in Veterans with history of mTBI are even higher. What is less known is whether Veterans with mTBI exhibit worse sleep than Veterans without mTBI and whether these sleep impairments are associated with neurophysiological changes. Methods 61 Veterans with history of mTBI (age:31.1+/-5.3; 85%male) and 33 Veterans with no history of mTBI (age:30.4+/-6.1; 85%male) were studied. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and a structural MRI were administered. Sleep measures were compared using ANCOVA controlling for PTSD symptomatology (PTSD Checklist-Military). FMRIB’s Software (FSL) was utilized to obtain whole brain and volume estimates from 7 bilateral regions which were compared between groups using independent t-tests (controlling for intercranial volume). Bivariate correlations were performed only for those sleep measures and volumetric data that were determined to differ significantly between groups. Results ANCOVA determined that Veterans with mTBI reported significantly greater sleep impairments on the ISI (p