Journal Article

FZJ-2026-02579

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Neural processing of emotional stimuli before and after cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia

Xu, Z. ; Schiel, J. E. ; Petri, R. ; Konzen, N. ; Davoodabadi, A. ; Schmid, S. ; Feige, B. ; Maier, S. ; Feige, U. ; Frase, L. ; Tahmasian, M.FZJ* ; Baglioni, C. ; Domschke, K. ; Spiegelhalder, K. ; Holub, F. (Corresponding author)

2026
Elsevier Amsterdam [u.a.]

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Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2026.108964  doi:10.34734/FZJ-2026-02579

Abstract: BackgroundPrevious research has suggested an association between insomnia disorder (ID) and alterations in emotion processing. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate neurobiological changes in emotion processing in patients with ID before and after Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and to compare them with healthy controls (HC) with task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).Methods20 patients with ID and 20 HC were included in this study to view five different blocks of pictures with varying emotional arousal, valence, and content (sleep-relatedness) in the fMRI scanner.ResultsA significant Group × Session interaction was identified in the amygdala for both the sleep-related negative contrast (F(1,38) = 4.19, p = .048) and the neutral moderate contrast (F(1,38) = 5.39, p = .026). Post-hoc tests revealed that patients with ID had a significantly higher average amygdala reactivity to sleep-related stimuli at T0, whereas no significant difference was observed between the groups at T1. However, the analysis of Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) in the control group suggests a very low retest reliability across all fMRI measures.ConclusionsCBT-I may normalise amygdala responses to sleep-related negative stimuli, which may reflect a shift toward improved emotional processing. However, the very low retest reliability of fMRI measures warrants cautious interpretation of these results.

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. Gehirn & Verhalten (INM-7)

Research Program(s):

1. 5251 - Multilevel Brain Organization and Variability (POF4-525) (POF4-525)

Appears in the scientific report 2026

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Database coverage:
; ; ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Ebsco Academic Search ; Essential Science Indicators ; IF < 5 ; JCR ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection

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