ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Clinically, insomnia patients describe overactive minds that do not turn off at night to allow them to sleep. This chapter will review brain imaging studies that comment on whether or not there is abnormal brain function in insomnia patients that may in some way relate to their difficulty sleeping. Interpretations will be aided by review of relevant preclinical studies of the neurobiology of sleep and recent neuroimaging studies in healthy humans across the sleep/wake cycle. The organization of this paper will follow a systems neuroscience view of a hierarchical arousal network in the central nervous system. Abnormalities in any component of this interactive system may produce insomnia complaints. Finally, evidence will be presented as to the location where interventions may impact on regional brain function in insomnia patients.
