Treatment of Sleep Disorders Following Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.
Yancheng Wang, Jiaqing Yan, Liyao Su et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review and network meta-analysis compared pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions for sleep disorders after traumatic brain injury. It included 22 randomized controlled trials involving 1299 patients, with sleep outcomes assessed using the ISI, PSQI, and ESS. Several nonpharmacological interventions significantly improved sleep outcomes versus control treatments: CBT, acupuncture, tDCS, and BCAA improved ISI; CBT, acupuncture, tDCS, HBOT, and PST improved PSQI; and CBT improved ESS. Pharmacotherapy did not show superior efficacy. The authors conclude that nonpharmacological approaches may help, while emphasizing the need for further high-quality research.
Key findings
- Across 22 randomized controlled trials involving 1299 patients, several nonpharmacological interventions significantly improved sleep outcomes compared with control treatments.
- CBT, acupuncture, tDCS, and BCAA significantly improved ISI scores; CBT, acupuncture, tDCS, HBOT, and PST significantly improved PSQI scores.
- CBT improved ESS scores, while pharmacotherapy did not demonstrate superior efficacy.
Why it matters
Sleep disorders are a recognized concern after traumatic brain injury, and this synthesis compares a range of treatment approaches across multiple sleep measures. Its findings suggest that nonpharmacological interventions may offer benefit, while the lack of demonstrated superiority for pharmacotherapy and the call for better-quality research underscore uncertainty about comparative effectiveness.
What to keep in mind
The authors state that further high-quality research is needed to confirm the findings.