Structural brain characteristics of epilepsy patients with comorbid migraine without aura.

Migraine is a common bi-directional comorbidity of epilepsy, indicating potential complex interactions between the two conditions. However, no previous studies have used brain morphology analysis to assess possible interactions between epilepsy and migraine. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM), surface-based morphometry (SBM), and structural covariance networks (SCNs) can be used to detect morphological changes with high accuracy. We recruited 30 individuals with epilepsy and comorbid migraine without aura (EM), along with 20 healthy controls (HC) and 30 epilepsy controls (EC) without migraine. We used VBM, SBM, and SCN analysis to compare differences in gray matter volume, cortical thickness, and global level and local level graph theory indexes between the EM, EC, and HC groups to investigate structural brain changes in the EM patients. VBM analysis showed that the EM group had gray matter atrophy in the right temporal pole compared with the HC group (p < 0.001, false discovery rate correction [FDR]). Furthermore, the headache duration in the EM group was negatively correlated with the gray matter volume of the right temporal pole (p < 0.05). SBM analysis showed cortical atrophy in the left insula, left posterior cingulate gyrus, left postcentral gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus, and left fusiform gyrus in the EM compared with the HC group (p < 0.001, family wise error correction). We found a positive correlation between headache frequency and the cortical thickness of the left middle temporal gyrus (p < 0.05). SCN analysis revealed no differences in global parameters between the three groups. The area under the curve (AUC) of the nodal betweenness centrality in the right postcentral gyrus was lower in the EM group compared with the HC group (p < 0.001, FDR correction), and the AUC of the nodal degree in the right fusiform gyrus was lower in the EM group compared with the EC group (p < 0.001, FDR correction). We found clear differences in brain structure in the EM patients compared with the HC group. Accordingly, migraine episodes may influence brain structure in epilepsy patients. Conversely, abnormal brain structure may be an important factor in the development of epilepsy with comorbid migraine without aura. Further studies are needed to investigate the role of brain structure in individuals with epilepsy and comorbid migraine without aura.

Abnormal causal connectivity of anterior cingulate cortex-visual cortex circuit related to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug efficacy in migraine.

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and visual cortex are integral components of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying migraine, yet the impact of altered connectivity patterns between these regions on migraine treatment remains unknown. To elucidate this issue, we investigated the abnormal causal connectivity between the ACC and visual cortex in patients with migraine without aura (MwoA), based on the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data, and its predictive ability for the efficacy of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The results revealed increased causal connectivity from the bilateral ACC to the lingual gyrus (LG) and decreased connectivity in the opposite direction in nonresponders compared with the responders. Moreover, compared with the healthy controls, nonresponders exhibited heightened causal connectivity from the ACC to the LG, right inferior occipital gyrus (IOG) and left superior occipital gyrus, while connectivity patterns from the LG and right IOG to the ACC were diminished. Based on the observed abnormal connectivity patterns, the support vector machine (SVM) models showed that the area under the receiver operator characteristic curves for the ACC to LG, LG to ACC and bidirectional models were 0.857, 0.898, and 0.939, respectively. These findings indicate that neuroimaging markers of abnormal causal connectivity in the ACC-visual cortex circuit may facilitate clinical decision-making regarding NSAIDs administration for migraine management.

Parahippocampus hypertrophy drives gray matter morphological alterations in migraine patients without aura.

BACKGROUND: The aberrance of gray matter morphology in migraineurs has been widely investigated. However, it remains largely unknown whether there are illness duration-related hierarchical changes in the gray matter structure. METHODS: A total of 86 migraine without aura (MwoA) patients and 73 healthy controls were included. The Voxel-Based Morphometry approach was utilized to compare the gray matter volume (GMV) differences between MwoA patients and healthy controls. The Structural Covariance Network analysis was conducted to quantify the cross-regional synchronous alterations of gray matter structure in MwoA patients. The Causal Structural Covariance Network analysis was performed to describe the progressive and hierarchical changes in the gray matter network of patients in the pathological progression of migraine. RESULTS: MwoA patients had duration-stage related GMV hypertrophy in the left parahippocampus, as well as synergistic GMV aberrance in the parahippocampus and the medial inferior temporal gyrus and cerebellum. Moreover, the GMV alteration of the parahippocampus, and the surrounding hippocampus, amygdala, and bilateral anterior cerebellum, preceded and causally influenced the morphological changes of lateral parietal-temporal-occipital gyrus, as well as the motor cortex and prefrontal gyrus with the increasing illness duration in MwoA patients. CONCLUSION: The current study indicated that gray matter structural alterations in the medial inferior temporal gyrus, especially the parahippocampus, is a critical pathological characteristic in MwoA patients, which drives the gray matter structure alteration of other regions. These findings provide further evidence for understanding the progressive gray matter morphological changes in migraine and may facilitate the development of neuromodulation therapies targeting this procession.

Common variants in KCNK5 and FHL5 genes contributed to the susceptibility of migraine without aura in Han Chinese population.

A recent genome-wide meta study suggested that rs67338227 in the FHL5 gene and rs10456100 in the KCNK5 gene are associated with migraine from 27 population-based cohorts excluding Chinese population. Given that migraine without aura (MO) is the most common subtype of migraine, our aim was to systematically investigate the relationship of common variants in FHL5 and KCNK5 genes with the susceptibility to MO and provide clues as to the nature of the mechanisms involved in the etiology of migraine. A total of 3306 subjects including 1042 patients with MO and 2264 controls were recruited for the discovery stage, and 2530 individuals including 842 patients with MO and 1688 controls for the replication stage. Twenty-two tag SNPs (7 from FHL5 and 15 from KCNK5) were selected for genotyping. Genetic associations were analyzed at both single-marker and haplotype levels. Potential functional consequences of the significant SNPs were analyzed using gene expression data obtained from the GTEx database. Two SNPs, rs10456100 (KCNK5, P = 9.01 × 10-9) and rs7775721 (FHL5, P = 6.86 × 10-13), were determined to be significantly associated with MO in the discovery sample and were then replicated in another sample. In the combined sample set, the T allele of both SNPs was significantly associated with the increased risk of MO. Significant eQTL signals were identified for both SNP rs10456100 and rs7775721. Our findings suggest that the T allele carriers of SNP rs10456100 and rs7775721 are at increased risk of migraine.

Retinal nerve fiber layer changes in migraine: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Migraine is a common neurological disease, which seriously affects the quality of life and daily activities of patients. Although migraine is a transient phenomenon of cerebral vasoconstriction, it is well documented that recurrent attacks of migraine may lead to abnormalities in retinal structure. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a sensitive method to detect subtle damage in retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL). There have been many studies investigating the difference in RNFL thickness with optical coherence tomography (OCT) between migraine patients and healthy controls. However, the results were not consistent. Our purpose is to perform a meta-analysis to investigate RNFL alterations in migraine. METHODS: We will search PubMed, Embase, Web of science for studies assessing the differences in RNFL measured by OCT between patients with migraine and healthy controls. Case-control studies published in English will be included. Two reviewers will independently screen eligible articles, extract data, and assess quality. This meta-analysis will synthesize selected research data and compare the difference in RNFL thickness between patients with migraine and healthy controls. We will use Stata 15 in this meta-analysis. I statistics will be used to assess heterogeneity. If I ≤ 50%, the data are synthesized will use a fixed effect model. Otherwise, a random effect model will be performed. Publication bias will be determined by the Egger test. The methodological quality of all included studies will be evaluated by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). We will perform subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and meta-regression analysis to test the robustness of the results. RESULTS: We will obtain quantitative results regarding the difference in RNFL thickness between migraine patients and healthy controls. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provide a high-quality synthesis of existing evidence and provide a basis for assessing the effect of migraine on the thickness of RNFL. REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY 202060033.

Cognitive Networks Disarrangement in Patients With Migraine Predicts Cutaneous Allodynia.

BACKGROUND: Two-thirds of patients with migraine without aura (MwoA) complain ictal cutaneous allodynia (CA), clinical sign of central nociceptive pathway sensitization, and independent predictor for migraine chronification. AIM: We aimed to investigate whether functional abnormalities, structural, or microstructural changes of the main cognitive networks (default mode network [DMN], salience network [SN], and central executive network [CEN]) could predict the development of CA in patients with MwoA. METHODS: Baseline 3-Tesla MRI images of 50 patients with MwoA were analyzed between 2009 and 2015. Over a three-year period, patients were then stratified into 2 groups based on CA development and compared with matched healthy controls (HC). Group-level independent components analysis was used to investigate intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) differences within the cognitive resting-state networks. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to assess whether group differences in cognitive network FC were related to structural differences. Tract-based spatial statistical analyses (TBSS) were conducted to assess the microstructural properties of white matter tracts. We also compared internetwork connectivity between patients. Finally, a logistic regression analysis was used to investigate baseline imaging predictors of CA development. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: We observed a significantly reduced FC of both DMN and CEN in patients with MwoA developing CA (MwoA d CA) when compared with both patients with MwoA not developing CA (MwoA nd CA) and HC. Within the DMN, the PCC/precuneus is a key hub aimed to anti-nociception and multisensory integration. The reduced intrinsic PCC/precuneus FC observed in patients with MwoA d CA could subtend abnormal inputs integration, from different sensory modalities, allowing the development of CA. On the other hand, within the CEN, a central role in pain modulation as well as in executive functions is played by ACC and MFG. Our finding of reduced ACC and MFG FC in MwoA d CA may represent the neuronal substrate of both subclinical impairment of complex executive functions and dysfunctional anti-nociceptive pathway, making these patients more prone to migraine chronification. TBSS analyses showed a statistically significant reduced corpus callosum (CC) FA in patients with MwoA d CA as previously demonstrated in migraine patients with other chronification factors such as medication overuse or affective disorders. No VBM differences in both global and local volumes were revealed between groups. No significant correlations have been found between the observed functional and microstructural changes and clinical parameters of disease severity. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the full model containing all predictors was statistically significant while the decreased ACC-FC was significantly associated with CA development. CONCLUSION: We suggest that DMN and CEN FC abnormalities as well as CC microstructural changes could represent a prognostic imaging biomarker able to identify migraine patients more prone to experiencing CA and therefore, more inclined to chronic migraine. In the new pharmacological scenario, it would be useful to address therapeutic resources to specific migraine populations with a high risk of more severe clinical phenotype.

Impaired functional connectivity of limbic system in migraine without aura.

Aberrant functional connectivity of brain networks has been demonstrated in migraine sufferers. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) may illustrate altered connectivity in patients suffering from migraine without aura (MwoA). Here, we applied a seed-based approach based on limbic regions to investigate disrupted functional connectivity between spontaneous migraine attacks. Resting-state fMRI data were obtained from 28 migraine patients without aura and 23 well-matched healthy controls (HC). The functional connectivity of the limbic system was characterized using a seed-based whole-brain correlation method. The resulting functional connectivity measurements were assessed for correlations with other clinical features. Neuropsychological data revealed significantly increased connectivity between the limbic system (bilateral amygdala and right hippocampus) and left middle occipital gyrus (MOG), and a positive correlation was revealed between disease duration and connective intensity of the left amygdala and the ipsilateral MOG. There was decreased functional connectivity between the right amygdala and contralateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). In addition, resting-state fMRI showed that, compared to HC, patients without aura had significant functional connectivity consolidation between the bilateral hippocampus and cerebellum, and a negative correlation was detected between scores on the headache impact test (HIT) and connectivity intensity of the right hippocampus and bilateral cerebellum. There was decreased functional connectivity between the left hippocampus and three brain areas, encompassing the bilateral inferior parietal gyri (IPG) and contralateral supplementary motor area (SMA). There were no structural differences between the two groups. Our data suggest that migraine patients have disrupted limbic functional connectivity to pain-related regions of the modulatory and encoding cortices, which are associated with specific clinical characteristics. Disturbances of resting-state functional connectivity may play a key role in neuropathological features, perception and affection of migraine. The current study provides further insights into the complex scenario of migraine mechanisms. .

Structural changes of cerebellum and brainstem in migraine without aura.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence has suggested that the cerebellum is associated with pain and migraine. In addition, the descending pain system of the brainstem is the major site of trigeminal pain processing and modulation and has been discussed as a main player in the pathophysiology of migraine. Cerebellar and brainstem structural changes associated with migraineurs remain to be further investigated. METHODS: Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) (50 controls, 50 migraineurs without aura (MWoAs)) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) (46 controls, 46 MWoAs) were used to assess cerebellum and brainstem anatomical alterations associated with MWoAs. We utilized a spatially unbiased infratentorial template toolbox (SUIT) to perform cerebellum and brainstem optimized VBM and DTI analysis. We extracted the average diffusion values from a probabilistic cerebellar white matter atlas to investigate whether MWoAs exhibited microstructure alterations in the cerebellar peduncle tracts. RESULTS: MWoAs showed decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in the vermis VI extending to the bilateral lobules V and VI of the cerebellum. We also found higher axial diffusivity (AD), mean diffusivity (MD), and radial diffusivity (RD) in the right inferior cerebellum peduncle tract in MWoAs. MWoAs exhibited both reduced gray matter volume and increased AD, MD and RD in the spinal trigeminal nucleus (SpV). CONCLUSION: MWoAs exhibited microstructural changes in the cerebellum and the local brainstem. These structural differences might contribute to dysfunction of the transmission and modulation of noxious information, trigeminal nociception, and conduction and integration of multimodal information in MWoAs. These findings further suggest involvement of the cerebellum and the brainstem in the pathology of migraine without aura.

Alterations in Regional Homogeneity Assessed by fMRI in Patients with Migraine Without Aura.

The aim of this study was to investigate the alterations in regional homogeneity assessed by fMRI in patients with migraine without aura (MWoA). Fifty-six eligible MWoA patients and 32 matched healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. MWoA patients were divided into three groups according to the headache days per month within 3 months: infrequent episodic migraine (IEM) group, frequent episodic migraine (FEM) group, and chronic migraine (CM) group. Data collection and rest-state fMRI examination were performed in all cases. The ReHo method was used to analyze the blood oxygen level dependent (BLOD) signals of the adjacent voxels in the brain regions of each patient, and the consistency of their fluctuations in the sequences of same time. Compared with normal controls, ReHo values of bilateral thalami, right insula and right middle temporal gyrus increased and both precentral gyri decreased in the IEM group; ReHo values of bilateral thalami and the right middle temporal gyrus increased; ReHo values of both anterior cingulate cortex, precentral gyri and putamen decreased in the FEM group. Compared with control group, ReHo values of left olfactory cortex, right hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, suboccipital gyrus and precuneus increased, both precentral gyri, precuneus, putamen and anterior cingulate cortex decreased in the CM group. Compared with IEM group, ReHo values of both putamen, left middle frontal gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus increased, and the left precuneus decreased in the FEM group. Compared with FEM group, ReHo values of left olfactory and left precuneus increased, and the right superior frontal gyrus, insula, middle temporal gyrus, thalami, both superior temporal gyri decreased in the CM group. In the IEM group, the changes of function focus on the regions associated with coding, conduction and regulation of pain signals. In the FEM group, functional alterations mainly concentrated on the regions associated with pain regulation and emotion cognition. In the CM group, the changes focus on the regions related to spatial attention and cognition, affective disorders and pain feedback, which may be associated with migraine production, development and chronification.

Retinal vascular density evaluation of migraine patients with and without aura and association with white matter hyperintensities.

Underlying pathophysiological mechanism of migraine is not all clear; however, recent reports suggested that neurovascular system is involved. We aimed to evaluate the retinal vessel densities of migraine patients with and without aura and the associations with white matter hyperintensities (WMH), using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). We recruited 28 migraine with aura (MWA) patients, 26 migraine without aura (MWO) and age and sex-matched 34 healthy controls in our study. All participants were evaluated with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCTA for optic nerve parameters and retinal vessel densities with RTVue XR AVANTI. On macular OCTA, superficial and deeper retinal foveal vessel density (VD) were significantly lesser in MWA and MWO than controls. On optic nerve OCTA, whole optic disc, peripapillary, superior hemisphere, superior layer and temporal layer VD were significantly lesser in MWA and MWO. In group of MWA with the WMH, deeper foveal VD and superior hemisphere VD, average RNFL, superior hemisphere and superior layer were significantly lesser and also foveal avascular zone was significantly larger than the group of without WMH. Alterations of VD in patients with migraine are showed in our study. In addition, in group of MWA these alterations have associations with WMH. Supporting these findings with further reports can be useful to understand the pathophysiology of this disease.

White matter tract microstructure of the mPFC-amygdala predicts interindividual differences in placebo response related to treatment in migraine patients.

To investigate whether interindividual variability of white matter (WM) tract microstructure of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)-amygdala circuit could predict 8-week placebo treatment outcomes in patients with migraine without aura (MO) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) with a tractography atlas-based analysis algorithm and a linear support vector machine algorithm. This study received institutional review board approval, and all subjects gave informed consent. One hundred and twenty-four MO had an 8-week sham acupuncture treatment. Patients were subdivided into recovering (MOr, >50% improvement in migraine attack frequency after treatment) and persisting (MOp, <50% reduction in number of migraine days). Neuroimaging was collected via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in all subjects. Patients were imaged during the interictal phase of migraine (at least 72 hr after, and not within 24 hr of a migraine) before the treatment. WM microstructures were quantified along the selected fiber pathway and were used to evaluate the discrimination performance for classifying MOr and MOp. The combined features of diffusion measures from vertices along the pathways of the mPFC-amygdala accurately discriminated MOr from MOp migraineurs with an accuracy of 84.0% (p < .005, permutation test). The most discriminative WM features that contributed to the classification were located in the external capsule and ACC/mPFC. Our findings suggested that the variability of placebo treatment outcomes in migraineurs could be predicted from priori diffusion measures along the fiber pathways of the mPFC-amygdala, which may demonstrate a potential of WM neuroimaging features as imaging markers for identifying placebo responders in migraine patients.

Right-to-left shunt may be prone to affect the white matter integrity of posterior circulation in migraine without aura.

Numerous studies have indicated an association between migraine and right-to-left shunt. However, little is known about whether right-to-left shunt has an effect on the migraine brain. This observational study aims to explore the impact of right-to-left shunt on the brain of migraine without aura on microstructural level. Thirty-five patients with migraine without aura were enrolled in this study. Contrast-enhanced Transcranial Doppler was performed to evaluate the status of right-to-left shunt. Three-dimensional T1-weighted and diffusion tensor images were acquired for data analysis. We employed voxel-based morphometry and tract-based spatial statistical analyses to assess the differences of gray and white matter between migraineurs with and without right-to-left shunt, respectively. Among the 35 patients, 19 (54.3%) patients had right-to-left shunt. There were no significant differences in headache features between migraineurs with and without right-to-left shunt. There were significant increases of mean and radial diffusivity in migraineurs with right-to-left shunt compared with migraineurs without right-to-left shunt. The alterations were primarily located in the right posterior thalamic radiation, secondly in the body of corpus callosum and the right superior corona radiata. No significant differences were observed in values of fractional anisotropy and axial diffusivity. No significant between-group differences were found in gray matter volume. Right-to-left shunt may cause alterations of white matter integrity in migraine without aura, and the alterations are more likely to be located at the posterior circulation.

Altered thalamic connectivity during spontaneous attacks of migraine without aura: A resting-state fMRI study.

Background Functional connectivity of brain networks may be altered in migraine without aura patients. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have demonstrated changed activity in the thalamus, pons and cerebellum in migraineurs. Here, we investigated the thalamic, pontine and cerebellar network connectivity during spontaneous migraine attacks. Methods Seventeen patients with episodic migraine without aura underwent resting-state fMRI scan during and outside of a spontaneous migraine attack. Primary endpoint was a difference in functional connectivity between the attack and the headache-free days. Functional connectivity was assessed in four different networks using seed-based analysis. The chosen seeds were in the thalamus (MNI coordinates x,y,z: right, 22,-24,0 and left, -22,-28,6), pons (right, 8,-24,-32 and left, -8,-24,-32), cerebellum crus I (right, 46,-58,-30 and left, -46,-58,-30) and cerebellum lobule VI (right, 34,-42,-36 and left, -32,-42,-36). Results We found increased functional connectivity between the right thalamus and several contralateral brain regions (superior parietal lobule, insular cortex, primary motor cortex, supplementary motor area and orbitofrontal cortex). There was decreased functional connectivity between the right thalamus and three ipsilateral brain areas (primary somatosensory cortex and premotor cortex). We found no change in functional connectivity in the pontine or the cerebellar networks. Conclusions The study indicates that network connectivity between thalamus and pain modulating as well as pain encoding cortical areas are affected during spontaneous migraine attacks.

The Posterior Insula Shows Disrupted Brain Functional Connectivity in Female Migraineurs Without Aura Based on Brainnetome Atlas.

Long-term headache attacks may cause human brain network reorganization in patients with migraine. In the current study, we calculated the topologic properties of functional networks based on the Brainnetome atlas using graph theory analysis in 29 female migraineurs without aura (MWoA) and in 29 female age-matched healthy controls. Compared with controls, female MWoA exhibited that the network properties altered, and the nodal centralities decreased/increased in some brain areas. In particular, the right posterior insula and the left medial superior occipital gyrus of patients exhibited significantly decreased nodal centrality compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, female MWoA exhibited a disrupted functional network, and notably, the two sub-regions of the right posterior insula exhibited decreased functional connectivity with many other brain regions. The topological metrics of functional networks in female MWoA included alterations in the nodal centrality of brain regions and disrupted connections between pair regions primarily involved in the discrimination of sensory features of pain, pain modulation or processing and sensory integration processing. In addition, the posterior insula decreased the nodal centrality, and exhibited disrupted connectivity with many other brain areas in female migraineurs, which suggests that the posterior insula plays an important role in female migraine pathology.

Volumetric brain changes in migraineurs from the general population.

OBJECTIVE: To assess volumetric brain changes in migraineurs from the general population compared with controls. METHODS: Structural brain changes in migraineurs from the general population-based MRI Cerebral Abnormalities in Migraine, an Epidemiologic Risk Analysis (CAMERA)-2 observational cohort study were assessed by state-of-the-art voxel-based morphometry. T1-weighted MRIs of 84 migraineurs (52 with aura, 32 without aura) and 35 headache-free controls were evaluated. Regional volumes were compared voxelwise, corrected for age, sex, and total intracranial volume, with region-of-interest and whole-brain analyses. RESULTS: In region-of-interest analyses, migraineurs showed decreased gray matter volume in the visual areas V3 and V5 of the right occipital cortex compared to controls (p < 0.05, familywise error correction). Post hoc analyses revealed that similar changes were present regardless of migraine aura status, disease activity (>1 year attack-free [inactive] vs ≥1 attack within the last year [active] and attack frequency [≤1 (low) vs ≥1 attack per month [high]). In exploratory whole-brain analyses (p < 0.001, uncorrected for multiple comparisons), we identified additional structural differences in migraineurs in other cortical and subcortical areas, including white matter tracts, that are particularly involved in visual processing. CONCLUSIONS: Migraineurs from the general population showed small volumetric brain changes, mainly in cortical areas involved in visual motion processing, compared to controls. The presence of morphologic changes regardless of the presence of migraine aura or disease activity suggests that migraines with and without aura share common pathophysiologic pathways and suggests that these changes are (partially) irreversible or might have been present throughout life.

Brain structural properties predict psychologically mediated hypoalgesia in an 8-week sham acupuncture treatment for migraine.

Neuroimaging studies described brain structural changes that comprise the mechanisms underlying individual differences in migraine development and maintenance. However, whether such interindividual variability in migraine was observed in a pretreatment scan is a predisposition for subsequent hypoalgesia to placebo treatment that remains largely unclear. Using T1-weighted imaging, we investigated this issue in 50 healthy controls (HC) and 196 patients with migraine without aura (MO). An 8-week double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled acupuncture was used, and we only focused on the data from the sham acupuncture group. Eighty patients participated in an 8-weeks sham acupuncture treatment, and were subdivided (50% change in migraine days from baseline) into recovering (MOr) and persisting (MOp) patients. Optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and functional connectivity analysis were performed to evaluate brain structural and functional changes. At baseline, MOp and MOr had similar migraine activity, anxiety and depression; reduced migraine days were accompanied by decreased anxiety in MOr. In our findings, the MOr group showed a smaller volume in the left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and decreased mPFC-related functional connectivity was found in the default mode network. Additionally, the reduction in migraine days after placebo treatment was significantly associated with the baseline gray matter volume of the mPFC which could also predict post-treatment groups with high accuracy. It indicated that individual differences for the brain structure in the pain modulatory system at baseline served as a substrate on how an individual facilitated or diminished hypoalgesia responses to placebo treatment in migraineurs. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4386-4397, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Abnormal rich club organization and impaired correlation between structural and functional connectivity in migraine sufferers.

Because of the unique position of the topologically central role of densely interconnected brain hubs, our study aimed to investigate whether these regions and their related connections would be particularly vulnerable to migraine. In our study, we explored the rich club structure and its role in global functional dynamics in 30 patients with migraine without aura and 30 healthy controls. DTI and resting fMRI were used to construct structural connectivity (SC) and functional connectivity (FC) networks. An independent replication data set of 26 patients and 26 controls was included to replicate and validate significant findings. As compared with the controls, the structural networks of patients exhibited altered rich club organization with higher level of feeder connection density, abnormal small-world organization with increased global efficiency and decreased strength of SC-FC coupling. As these abnormal topological properties and headache attack duration exhibited a significant association with increased density of feeder connections, our results indicated that migraine may be characterized by a selective alteration of the structural connectivity of the rich club regions, tending to have higher 'bridgeness' with non-rich club regions, which may increase the integration among pain-related brain circuits with more excitability but less inhibition for the modulation of migraine.

Choroidal thickness measurements in migraine patients during attack-free period.

To identify any structural differences in macular choroidal thickness in migraine patients and compare them with that of control subjects by using spectral domain optic coherence tomography (SD-OCT). In this prospective study, choroidal thicknesses of 32 migraine patients during migraine attack-free period and 32 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects were measured using SD-OCT. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmic examination before the measurements. The migraine patients were classified into the migraine with aura group or the migraine without aura group. Migraine severity was assessed by visual analog scale (VAS), migraine disability questionnaire (Migraine Disability Assessment Score (MIDAS), and Wong-Baker faces pain rating scale. Thirty eyes of 32 subjects (31 female and 1 male) in the migraine group and 32 eyes of 32 subjects (31 female and 1 male) in control group were evaluated. In the study group, 16 patients suffered migraine without aura (MWA) and 16 patients were diagnosed as migraine with aura (MA). The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) was 353.3 ± 66.5 µm in the control group versus 304.3 ± 72.9 µm and 276.1 ± 61.4 µm in MWA and MA groups, respectively. The difference in SFCT between the migraine patients and the controls was significant (p < 0.001). Additionally, a moderate correlation was found between SFCT and the VAS score and W baker score (r = 0.48, p = 0.008 and r = 0.43, p = 0.02, respectively). The choroidal thickness was found to decrease significantly not only in migraine patients with aura but also in those without aura during the attack-free period.

Association of migraine headaches with anatomical variations of the Circle of Willis: Evidence from a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have attempted to investigate whether variations in the Circle of Willis (COW) are more common in migraine patients and whether the subsequent changes in perfusion may contribute to the pathomechanism of migraine. However, studies are not in agreement as to whether or not there is an increased prevalence of COW variations in migraineurs. OBJECTIVE: To determine if migraine headaches are associated with variations in morphology of the COW. METHODS: A systemic search of the major electronic databases was performed for articles studying the association of variations in the COW and migraine. Data on the prevalence of variations in patients with migraine were extracted and pooled into the meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of four articles (n=807 patients) were deemed eligible for the meta-analysis. Migraine, regardless of subtype, was found to be associated with variations in the COW (OR=2.27, 95%CI 1.53-3.38, p<0.0001). An incomplete posterior circle (OR=2.60, 95%CI 1.79-3.76, p<0.00001) was found to be more strongly associated with migraine than an incomplete anterior circle (OR=2.01, 95%CI 1.15-3.53, p=0.01). In sub-group analysis, migraine with aura was found to be associated with both an incomplete posterior (OR=3.55, 95%CI 2.25-5.59, p<0.00001) and an incomplete anterior circle (OR=2.35, 95%CI 1.20-4.62, p=0.01). Migraine without aura was found only to be associated with an incomplete posterior circle (OR=2.10, 95%CI 1.39-3.17, p=0.0004). CONCLUSIONS: Migraine is associated with anatomical variations in both the anterior and posterior portions of the COW. However, larger prospective trials are needed to determine the true prevalence of variations and their pathological significance.

High sensitivity C-reactive protein and cerebral white matter hyperintensities on magnetic resonance imaging in migraine patients.

BACKGROUND: Migraine is a common headache disorder that may be associated with vascular disease and cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a marker of inflammation that may predict subclinical atherosclerosis. However, the relation between migraine, vascular risks, and WMHs is unknown. We evaluated hs-CRP levels and the relation between hs-CRP level and WMHs in adult migraine patients. METHODS: This case-control study included 432 subjects (216 migraine patients [without aura, 143 patients; with aura, 73 patients]; 216 healthy control subjects without migraine; age range 18-50 y). Migraine diagnosis was determined according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders II diagnostic criteria. The migraine patients and control subjects had no known vascular risk factors, inflammatory disease, or comorbid disease. The presence and number of WMHs on MRI scans were determined, and serum hs-CRP levels were measured by latex-enhanced immunoturbidimetry. RESULTS: Mean hs-CRP level was significantly greater in migraine patients (1.94 ± 2.03 mg/L) than control subjects (0.82 ± 0.58 mg/L; P ≤ .0001). The mean number of WMHs per subject and the presence of WMHs was significantly greater in migraine patients (69 patients [31.9%]; 1.68 ± 3.12 mg/dL) than control subjects (21 subjects [9.7%]; 0.3 ± 1.3; P ≤ .001). However, there was no correlation between hs-CRP level and WMHs in migraine patients (r = 0.024; not significant). The presence of WMHs was increased 4.35-fold in migraine patients (odds ratio 4.35, P ≤ .001). CONCLUSIONS: High hs-CRP level may be a marker of the proinflammatory state in migraine patients. However, the absence of correlation between hs-CRP level and WMHs suggests that hs-CRP is not causally involved in the pathogenesis of WMHs in migraine patients. The WMHs were located mostly in the frontal lobe and subcortical area.