Insomnia may be due to Hyperactive Brain Activity

Statistics show that many Americans suffer from sleep disorders, insomnia being one of them-otherwise known as the inability to turn off brain functioning and get a good night's rest. Yet a recent study shows that chronic insomnia sufferers may deal with more plasticity and activity in the motor cortex or the region of the brain that controls movement when compared to those who can easily get a good night's rest. 

"Insomnia is not a nighttime disorder," lsaid ead researcher Dr. Rachel E. Salas, an assistant professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, via a press release. "It's a 24-hour brain condition, like a light switch that is always on. Our research adds information about differences in the brain associated with it."

The study also showed that neurons in the motor cortex of chronic insomniacs could be more easily excitable, with researchers suggesting that those who suffer from insomnia may be in a constant state of heightened information processing that harms their sleep patterns. 

For the study, researchers examined 28 participants--18 of whom suffered from insomnia for a year or more and 10 who had normal sleep patterns. Researchers used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) that painlessly disrupts the function of a targeted area via the delivery of electromagnetic currents to parts of the brain. This technique is used to treat depression in some patients through the simulation of neurons in the brain to help control mood.

Each patient was given 65 electrical pulses via TMS to stimulate various parts of the motor cortex. Researchers then watched for involuntary thumb movements that were related to stimulation from the TMS.

Following this, the study authors trained each participant for 30 minutes to move their thumb in the opposite direction of the original involuntary movement with a goal to measure the extent of which the participants' brains could move their thumbs involuntarily in the newly trained direction.

Though the researchers expected participants with insomnia to perform poorly in the learning test, the results revealed opposite conclusions. The study showed that the participants with sleep problems had better brain plasticity than those who slept well at night.

At this time, researchers are uncertain as to why this increased brain adaptability is a result or cause of insomnia

More information regarding the findings can be found via the journal Sleep.