Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Veterans With TBI

Many Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn era Veterans have suffered a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), and now cope with multiple post-injury symptoms, including sleep disturbances (especially insomnia). Chronic insomnia in mTBI patients has the potential to exacerbate other symptoms, delay recovery, and negatively affect many of the cognitive, psychological, and neuromuscular sequelae of mTBI, thereby decreasing quality of life. Although Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) has been shown to be an effective evidence-based treatment for insomnia, there are no published randomized controlled trials evaluating the potential strengths and/or limitations of CBT-I in post-mTBI patients. Therefore, assessing CBT-I in the context of mTBI holds promise to provide substantial benefits in terms of improved rehabilitation outcomes in Veterans who have suffered mTBI.