An fMRI Study of the Effects of Vibroacoustic Stimulation on Functional Connectivity in Patients with Insomnia

Methodology

Randomized controlled trial with resting-state fMRI scans before and after one month of vibroacoustic stimulation therapy. 30 patients with insomnia were randomly assigned to receive one month of vibroacoustic stimulation or be placed in a waitlist control. Patients were evaluated pre- and post-program with qualitative sleep questionnaires and actigraphy watch measurement of sleep duration.

Key Findings

• Significant improvements in measured sleep minutes and Insomnia Severity Index scores

• Altered functional connectivity in the vermis, cerebellar hemispheres, thalamus, sensorimotor area, nucleus accumbens, and prefrontal cortex

• Measurable changes in brain regions involved in sleep regulation

• Demonstrated that vibroacoustic stimulation alters brain functional connectivity while improving sleep

Clinical Results

Published research demonstrates that vibroacoustic stimulation produces significant improvements in sleep quality with measurable changes in brain connectivity patterns. The study provides neuroimaging evidence of the physiological effects of audio therapy on insomnia.

Full Study

Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University conducted a randomized controlled trial to observe the effects of vibroacoustic stimulation on functional connectivity changes in the brain using resting state fMRI. It is well known that vibratory and auditory stimuli from vehicles such as cars and trains can help induce sleep. More recent literature suggested that specific types of vibratory and acoustic stimulation might help promote sleep, but this had not been tested with neuroimaging.

For this study, 30 patients with insomnia were randomly assigned to receive one month of vibroacoustic stimulation or be placed in a waitlist control. Patients were evaluated pre- and post-program with qualitative sleep questionnaires and measurement of sleep duration with an actigraphy watch. In addition, patients underwent resting-state fMRI to assess functional connectivity.

The results demonstrated that those patients receiving the vibroacoustic stimulation had significant improvements in measured sleep minutes as well as in scores on the Insomnia Severity Index questionnaire. In addition, significant changes were noted in functional connectivity in association with the vermis, cerebellar hemispheres, thalamus, sensorimotor area, nucleus accumbens, and prefrontal cortex.

The results of this study show that vibroacoustic stimulation alters the brain's functional connectivity as well as improves sleep in patients with insomnia.

Research disclosure. The studies referenced on this page were conducted under Theracoustic™, a trading name of the same company and team behind WellAudio, using the same underlying audio therapy technology and methodology. WellAudio is a new consumer product built on this foundation. These studies were carried out prior to the launch of WellAudio and were not performed using this application specifically. Results reflect outcomes from clinical and institutional settings and may not be representative of individual consumer use.