Journal of International Psychiatry

Insomnia and major depressive disorder are closely related, and numerous studies have suggested an interactive relationship between the two, which may indicate an overlap in their neurobiology. In recent years, brain imaging technology has had a huge impact on exploring the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder and insomnia, As an important technical means, magnetic resonance imaging can link the disorders of internal neural activities of the brain caused by diseases with potential differences in anatomy and physiology. Although much progress has been made in understanding the relationships between these diseases, the exact neurobiological mechanisms that link them together have remained elusive. This paper summarizes the related studies on brain structure and brain function of major depressive disorder and insomnia based on MRI in the past years, Based on the extensive methodological heterogeneity in the current studies, the need to consider multi-dimensional information integration in future MRI studies is emphasized.

Major depressive disorder; Insomnia; Magnetic resonance imaging