Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the Default Mode Network to Improve Sleep

Insomnia is generally believed to be caused by excessive arousal of the brain and body. Rather than transitioning normally and quickly from wakefulness to sleep, individuals with insomnia tend to enter into a self-perpetuating cycle of self-referential thought and arousal. Brain imaging research has shown that these same internally focused self-reflective thoughts tend to activate a core system in the brain known as the Default Mode Network (DMN). The DMN is usually active when a person is internally focused, such as during daydreaming or mind wandering, but tends to be deactivated when the brain is focused on the external environment. The investigators hypothesize that excess activation and connectivity of this brain network may perpetuate internal conversations, worry, and rumination, preventing individuals with insomnia from falling asleep quickly and remaining asleep. Therefore, the goal of the present study is to use a brain stimulation technique known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to target the DMN and slightly reduce its activation before bed. This should result in an easier time falling asleep. For this study, the investigators will recruit 20 healthy individuals and have them sleep in the lab on two occasions. On one occasion, they will be stimulated with a type of TMS called continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS), which will be targeted toward their DMN. They will then try to sleep in the lab while the investigators record their brain waves using a …

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William D Killgore, PhD  ·  (520) 621-0605  ·  killgore@psychiatry.arizona.edu

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