Does Cognitive–Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Change the Brain? A Case Series Study

Purpose In this study, our aim was to examine neural correlates of cognitive–behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). Methods It was investigated to what extent successfully tailored CBT-I modified the neural activity pattern observed before the intervention, when two insomnia patients were exposed to idiosyncratic stimuli pertaining to past/present and future concerns in an fMRI experiment. Results Our findings suggested that successful CBT-I seems to normalize brain overactivity. This finding is enhanced by the visible attenuation of activity in brain regions implicated in self-referential processing and by the significant activation within visual areas across all experimental conditions. Conclusion It is likely that psychological treatment changes the brain’s function in insomnia. However, studies with larger sample sizes are needed to establish solid evidence.