SUNCT syndrome secondary to multiple sclerosis: Not only trigeminal neuralgia.

BACKGROUND: Facial pain in multiple sclerosis is often due to trigeminal neuralgia but atypical pictures can be observed. CASE PRESENTATION: A man with primary progressive multiple sclerosis developed severe unilateral facial pain in the right orbital region. Spontaneous and triggered attacks were associated with ipsilateral conjunctival injection and lacrimation. A diagnosis of short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks with conjunctival injection and tearing was made, and symptoms significantly improved with lamotrigine. CONCLUSION: Pain is poorly investigated in multiple sclerosis, with a dramatic impact on patients' life quality. In this light, standardized evaluation of pain is needed to improve patient management.

Sex differences in trigeminal neuralgia: a focus on radiological and clinical characteristics.

BACKGROUND: It is well established that trigeminal neuralgia is more prevalent in females than in males. Neurovascular compression with morphological changes of the trigeminal root represents the most recognized etiological factor. However, other factors may play a role in the framework of a multi-hit model. The primary aim of this study was to investigate sex differences in radiological and clinical characteristics of trigeminal neuralgia to better understand the multifactorial origin of this peculiar neuropathic pain condition. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study patients with a definite diagnosis of primary trigeminal neuralgia were consecutively enrolled. Each patient underwent 3T MRI with sequences dedicated to the study of neurovascular compression. Major morphological changes of the trigeminal root were quantitatively assessed. Clinical characteristics were systematically collected through a dedicated questionnaire. A logistic regression model was implemented to predict radiological and clinical characteristics based on sex. RESULTS: A total of 114 patients with classical (87) or idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (27) were enrolled. Female sex was predictive for idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia. Male sex was predictive, among the comorbidities and clinical characteristics, for hypertension, the involvement of the left side and the second trigeminal division, alone or with the ophthalmic division. DISCUSSION: The preponderance of TN in the female sex and the association between idiopathic TN and the female sex suggest the role of additional etiological factors in the framework of a multi-hit model. The identification of clinical variables predicted by sex suggests the possibility that distinct phenotypes, with peculiar pathophysiological and therapeutic aspects, may occur in females and males.

The Spectrum of Neurological and Sensory Abnormalities in Gaucher Disease Patients: A Multidisciplinary Study (SENOPRO).

Gaucher disease (GD) has been increasingly recognized as a continuum of phenotypes with variable neurological and sensory involvement. No study has yet specifically explored the spectrum of neuropsychiatric and sensory abnormalities in GD patients through a multidisciplinary approach. Abnormalities involving the nervous system, including sensory abnormalities, cognitive disturbances, and psychiatric comorbidities, have been identified in GD1 and GD3 patients. In this prospective study, named SENOPRO, we performed neurological, neuroradiological, neuropsychological, ophthalmological, and hearing assessments in 22 GD patients: 19 GD1 and 3 GD3. First, we highlighted a high rate of parkinsonian motor and non-motor symptoms (including high rates of excessive daytime sleepiness), especially in GD1 patients harboring severe glucocerebrosidase variants. Secondly, neuropsychological evaluations revealed a high prevalence of cognitive impairment and psychiatric disturbances, both in patients initially classified as GD1 and GD3. Thirdly, hippocampal brain volume reduction was associated with impaired short- and long-term performance in an episodic memory test. Fourthly, audiometric assessment showed an impaired speech perception in noise in the majority of patients, indicative of an impaired central processing of hearing, associated with high rates of slight hearing loss both in GD1 and GD3 patients. Finally, relevant structural and functional abnormalities along the visual system were found both in GD1 and GD3 patients by means of visual evoked potentials and optical coherence tomography. Overall, our findings support the concept of GD as a spectrum of disease subtypes, and support the importance of in-depth periodic monitoring of cognitive and motor performances, mood, sleep patterns, and sensory abnormalities in all patients with GD, independently from the patient's initial classification.

Whole brain surface-based morphometry and tract-based spatial statistics in migraine with aura patients: difference between pure visual and complex auras.

Background: The migrainous aura has different clinical phenotypes. While the various clinical differences are well-described, little is known about their neurophysiological underpinnings. To elucidate the latter, we compared white matter fiber bundles and gray matter cortical thickness between healthy controls (HC), patients with pure visual auras (MA) and patients with complex neurological auras (MA+). Methods: 3T MRI data were collected between attacks from 20 patients with MA and 15 with MA+, and compared with those from 19 HCs. We analyzed white matter fiber bundles using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and cortical thickness with surface-based morphometry of structural MRI data. Results: Tract-based spatial statistics showed no significant difference in diffusivity maps between the three subject groups. As compared to HCs, both MA and MA+ patients had significant cortical thinning in temporal, frontal, insular, postcentral, primary and associative visual areas. In the MA group, the right high-level visual-information-processing areas, including lingual gyrus, and the Rolandic operculum were thicker than in HCs, while in the MA+ group they were thinner. Discussion: These findings show that migraine with aura is associated with cortical thinning in multiple cortical areas and that the clinical heterogeneity of the aura is reflected by opposite thickness changes in high-level visual-information-processing, sensorimotor and language areas.

A Hypothalamic Mechanism Regulates the Duration of a Migraine Attack: Insights from Microstructural and Temporal Complexity of Cortical Functional Networks Analysis.

The role of the hypothalamus and the limbic system at the onset of a migraine attack has recently received significant interest. We analyzed diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters of the entire hypothalamus and its subregions in 15 patients during a spontaneous migraine attack and in 20 control subjects. We also estimated the non-linear measure resting-state functional MRI BOLD signal's complexity using Higuchi fractal dimension (FD) and correlated DTI/fMRI findings with patients' clinical characteristics. In comparison with healthy controls, patients had significantly altered diffusivity metrics within the hypothalamus, mainly in posterior ROIs, and higher FD values in the salience network (SN). We observed a positive correlation of the hypothalamic axial diffusivity with migraine severity and FD of SN. DTI metrics of bilateral anterior hypothalamus positively correlated with the mean attack duration. Our results show plastic structural changes in the hypothalamus related to the attacks severity and the functional connectivity of the SN involved in the multidimensional neurocognitive processing of pain. Plastic changes to the hypothalamus may play a role in modulating the duration of the attack.

Visual hallucinations in Lewy body disease: pathophysiological insights from phenomenology.

Visual hallucinations (VH) in Lewy body disease (LBD) have a heterogenous phenomenology classified into minor phenomena (MVH) and complex hallucinations (CVH). Mechanisms underpinning VH and their temporal aspects are largely unknown. According to the hodotopic model, we investigated whether changes in distinct cognitive domains and neural networks in the hallucination trait underpin temporal aspects of MVH and CVH in the hallucination state. 35 LBD patients with VH underwent a complete neuropsychological evaluation and resting-state fMRI. North-East-Visual-Hallucinations-Interview was used to assess their typical VH content, duration, and frequency. We found that MVH was not associated with cognitive impairment, while CVH was associated with impairments in visuoperceptual processes, attention and visual abstract reasoning. In seed-to-seed functional connectivity (FC) analysis we identified functional couplings associated with MVH and CVH temporal severity (duration x frequency), duration and frequency. MVH severity was negatively associated with FC between early visual areas (EVA) and ventral-visual-stream regions, and negatively associated with FC between brainstem and EVA, which may be linked to LBD brainstem neuropathology. CVH duration was positively associated with FC between ventral-visual stream and salience network (SN). CVH frequency was negatively associated with FC between DMN and SN. Functional alterations in distinct visual and attentional networks and their dynamic interaction in trait LBD hallucinators are linked to both the phenomenology of state content and its temporal characteristics. Within a network, VH frequency and duration may be linked to different types of functional alterations: increased connectivity leading to sustained activity prolonging VH (duration) and decreased connectivity increasing dysregulated, spontaneous activity (frequency). These findings support the hodotopic hypothesis of VH and may reflect a link between VH phenomenology, LBD neuropathological progression and the involvement of specific neurotransmitter systems.

Hypothalamic structural integrity and temporal complexity of cortical information processing at rest in migraine without aura patients between attacks.

The hypothalamus has been attributed an important role during the premonitory phase of a migraine attack. Less is known about the role played by the hypothalamus in the interictal period and its relationship with the putative neurocognitive networks previously identified in the pathophysiology of migraine. Our aim was to test whether the hypothalamic microstructure would be altered during the interictal period and whether this co-existed with aberrant connectivity at cortical level. We collected multimodal MRI data from 20 untreated patients with migraine without aura between attacks (MO) and 20 healthy controls (HC) and studied fractional anisotropy, mean (MD), radial (RD), and axial diffusivity of the hypothalamus ROI as a whole from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Moreover, we performed an exploratory analysis of the same DTI metrics separately for the anterior and posterior hypothalamic ROIs bilaterally. From resting-state functional MRI, we estimated the Higuchi's fractal dimension (FD), an index of temporal complexity sensible to describe non-periodic patterns characterizing BOLD signature. Finally, we correlated neuroimaging findings with migraine clinical features. In comparison to HC, MO had significantly higher MD, AD, and RD values within the hypothalamus. These findings were confirmed also in the exploratory analysis on the sub-regions of the hypothalamus bilaterally, with the addition of lower FA values on the posterior ROIs. Patients showed higher FD values within the salience network (SN) and the cerebellum, and lower FD values within the primary visual (PV) network compared to HC. We found a positive correlation between cerebellar and SN FD values and severity of migraine. Our findings of hypothalamic abnormalities between migraine attacks may form part of the neuroanatomical substrate that predisposes the onset of the prodromal phase and, therefore, the initiation of an attack. The peculiar fractal dimensionality we found in PV, SN, and cerebellum may be interpreted as an expression of abnormal efficiency demand of brain networks devoted to the integration of sensory, emotional, and cognitive information related to the severity of migraine.

Thalamo-cortical networks in subtypes of migraine with aura patients.

BACKGROUND: We searched for differences in resting-state functional connectivity (FC) between brain networks and its relationship with the microstructure of the thalamus between migraine with pure visual auras (MA), and migraine with complex neurological auras (MA+), i.e. with the addition of at least one of sensory or language symptom. METHODS: 3T MRI data were obtained from 20 patients with MA and 15 with MA + and compared with those from 19 healthy controls (HCs). We collected resting state data among independent component networks. Diffusivity metrics of bilateral thalami were calculated and correlated with resting state ICs-Z-scores. RESULTS: As compared to HCs, both patients with MA and MA + disclosed disrupted FC between the default mode network (DMN) and the right dorsal attention system (DAS). The MA + subgroup had lower microstructural metrics than both HCs and the MA subgroup, which correlated negatively with the strength of DMN connectivity. Although the microstructural metrics of MA patients did not differ from those of HCs, these patients lacked the correlation with the strength of DAS connectivity found in HCs. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that, as far as MRI profiles are concerned, the two clinical phenotypes of migraine with aura have both common and distinct morpho-functional features of nodes in the thalamo-cortical network.

fMRI in Bell's Palsy: Cortical Activation is Associated with Clinical Status in the Acute and Recovery Phases.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we explored cortical activation in patients with acute Bell's palsy (BP) and analyzed its correlates with clinical status in the acute phase, and with 6-month outcome. METHODS: Twenty-four right-handed patients with acute BP within 15 days of onset and 24 healthy controls underwent fMRI during performance of unilateral active (hemi-smiling) and passive lip movement tasks with both the paretic and the normal lip. The degree of paresis was evaluated during the acute stage and at the 6-month follow up using the House-Brackmann (HB) grading scale. Complete recovery was defined as HB grade II or less at the end of the 6-month period. The difference in the HB grade (ΔHB) between the acute stage and the 6-month follow up was used to evaluate clinical improvement. RESULTS: There were 24 patients with unilateral acute BP. HB grades ranged from III to VI. At 6 months, 11 patients (46%) had completely recovered and 12 (50%) were partially improved. Compared with healthy subjects, BP patients had a significantly greater activation of the frontal areas and the insula ipsilateral to the paretic side. In BP patients, there was an inverse correlation between the activation of the ipsilateral hemisphere when moving the paretic side and the degree of paresis at baseline. An association was also observed between activation and clinical outcome (both complete recovery and ΔHB). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with BP, fMRI may represent a useful tool to predict long-term outcome, guide therapeutic approach, and monitor treatment response.

Haemodynamic activity characterization of resting state networks by fractal analysis and thalamocortical morphofunctional integrity in chronic migraine.

BACKGROUND: Chronic migraine (CM) can be associated with aberrant long-range connectivity of MRI-derived resting-state networks (RSNs). Here, we investigated how the fractal dimension (FD) of blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) activity may be used to estimate the complexity of RSNs, reflecting flexibility and/or efficiency in information processing in CM patients respect to healthy controls (HC). METHODS: Resting-state MRI data were collected from 20 untreated CM without history of medication overuse and 20 HC. On both groups, we estimated the Higuchi's FD. On the same subjects, fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) values of bilateral thalami were retrieved from diffusion tensor imaging and correlated with the FD values. RESULTS: CM showed higher FD values within dorsal attention system (DAS) and the anterior part of default-mode network (DMN), and lower FD values within the posterior DMN compared to HC. Although FA and MD were within the range of normality, both correlated with the FD values of DAS. CONCLUSIONS: FD of DAS and DMN may reflect disruption of cognitive control of pain in CM. Since the normal microstructure of the thalamus and its positive connectivity with the cortical networking found in our CM patients reminds similar results obtained assessing the same structures but with the methods of neurophysiology, in episodic migraine during an attack, this may be yet another evidence in supporting CM as a never-ending migraine attack.

Concomitant continuous pain in patients with trigeminal neuralgia is associated with trigeminal nerve root atrophy.

INTRODUCTION: Trigeminal neuralgia is an exemplary neuropathic pain condition characterized by paroxysmal electric-shock-like pain. However, up to 50% of patients also experiences concomitant continuous pain. In this neuroimaging study, we aimed to identify the specific anatomical features of trigeminal nerve root in patients with concomitant continuous pain. METHODS: We enrolled 73 patients with a definitive diagnosis of classical and idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia and 40 healthy participants. The diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia was independently confirmed by two clinicians. Patients were grouped as patients with purely paroxysmal pain (45 patients) and patients also with concomitant continuous pain (28 patients). All participants underwent a structured clinical examination and a 3T MRI with sequences dedicated to the anatomical study of the trigeminal nerve root, including volumetric study. Images analysis was independently performed by two investigators, blinded to any clinical data. RESULTS: In most patients with concomitant continuous pain, this type of pain, described as burning, throbbing or aching, manifested at the disease onset. Demographic and clinical variables did not differ between the two groups of patients; the frequency of neurovascular compression and nerve dislocation were similar. Conversely, trigeminal nerve root atrophy was more severe in patients with concomitant continuous pain than in those with purely paroxysmal pain (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Our clinical and neuroimaging study found that in patients with trigeminal neuralgia, concomitant continuous pain was associated with trigeminal nerve root atrophy, therefore suggesting that this type of pain is likely related to axonal loss and abnormal activity in denervated trigeminal second-order neurons.

Patients with chronic migraine without history of medication overuse are characterized by a peculiar white matter fiber bundle profile.

BACKGROUND: We investigated intracerebral fiber bundles using a tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) analysis of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data to verify microstructural integrity in patients with episodic (MO) and chronic migraine (CM). METHODS: We performed DTI in 19 patients with MO within interictal periods, 18 patients with CM without any history of drug abuse, and 18 healthy controls (HCs) using a 3 T magnetic resonance imaging scanner. We calculated diffusion metrics, including fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusion (AD), radial diffusion (RD), and mean diffusion (MD). RESULTS: TBSS revealed no significant differences in the FA, MD, RD, and AD maps between the MO and HC groups. In comparison to the HC group, the CM group exhibited widespread increased RD (bilateral superior [SCR] and posterior corona radiata [PCR], bilateral genu of the corpus callosum [CC], bilateral posterior limb of internal capsule [IC], bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus [LF]) and MD values (tracts of the right SCR and PCR, right superior LF, and right splenium of the CC). In comparison to the MO group, the CM group showed decreased FA (bilateral SCR and PCR, bilateral body of CC, right superior LF, right forceps minor) and increased MD values (bilateral SCR and right PCR, right body of CC, right superior LF, right splenium of CC, and right posterior limb of IC). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that chronic migraine can be associated with the widespread disruption of normal white matter integrity in the brain.

Increased neural connectivity between the hypothalamus and cortical resting-state functional networks in chronic migraine.

OBJECTIVE: The findings of resting-state functional MRI studies have suggested that abnormal functional integration between interconnected cortical networks characterises the brain of patients with migraine. The aim of this study was to investigate the functional connectivity between the hypothalamus, brainstem, considered as the migraine generator, and the following areas/networks that are reportedly involved in the pathophysiology of migraine: default mode network (DMN), executive control network, dorsal attention system, and primary and dorsoventral visual networks. METHODS: Twenty patients with chronic migraine (CM) without medication overuse and 20 healthy controls (HCs) were prospectively recruited. All study participants underwent 3-T MRI scans using a 7.5-min resting-state protocol. Using a seed-based approach, we performed a ROI-to-ROI analysis selecting the hypothalamus as the seed. RESULTS: Compared to HCs, patients with CM showed significantly increased neural connectivity between the hypothalamus and brain areas belonging to the DMN and dorsal visual network. We did not detect any connectivity abnormalities between the hypothalamus and the brainstem. The correlation analysis showed that the severity of the migraine headache was positively correlated with the connectivity strength of the hypothalamus and negatively with the connectivity strength of the medial prefrontal cortex, which belongs to the DMN. CONCLUSION: These data provide evidence for hypothalamic involvement in large-scale reorganisation at the functional-network level in CM and in proportion with the perceived severity of the migraine pain.

Aberrant interactions of cortical networks in chronic migraine: A resting-state fMRI study.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated resting-state (RS)-fMRI using independent component analysis (ICA) to determine the functional connectivity (FC) between networks in chronic migraine (CM) patients and their correlation with clinical features. METHODS: Twenty CM patients without preventive therapy or acute medication overuse underwent 3T MRI scans and were compared to a group of 20 healthy controls (HC). We used MRI to collect RS data in 3 selected networks, identified using group ICA: the default mode network (DMN), the executive control network (ECN), and the dorsal attention system (DAS). RESULTS: Compared to HC, CM patients had significantly reduced functional connectivity between the DMN and the ECN. Moreover, in patients, the DAS showed significantly stronger FC with the DMN and weaker FC with the ECN. The higher the severity of headache, the increased the strength of DAS connectivity, and the lower the strength of ECN connectivity. CONCLUSION: These results provide evidence for large-scale reorganization of functional cortical networks in chronic migraine. They suggest that the severity of headache is associated with opposite connectivity patterns in frontal executive and dorsal attentional networks.

The Relationships Between Vitamin K and Cognition: A Review of Current Evidence.

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble nutrient discovered in 1935 and its role in blood coagulation has been thoroughly explored. In recent years, studies conducted in vitro and on animals highlighted vitamin K involvement in brain cells development and survival. In particular, vitamin K seems to have an antiapoptotic and anti-inflammatory effect mediated by the activation of Growth Arrest Specific Gene 6 and Protein S. Moreover, this vitamin is involved in sphingolipids metabolism, a class of lipids that participate in the proliferation, differentiation, and survival of brain cells. An altered expression in sphingolipids profile has been related to neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. This review stems from a growing interest in the role of vitamin K in brain functions, especially in cognition, also in view of an expected increase of prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. It collects recent researches that show interesting, even though not definitive, evidence of a direct correlation between vitamin K levels and cognitive performance. Moreover, vitamin K antagonists, used worldwide as oral anticoagulants, according to recent studies may have a negative influence on cognitive domains such as visual memory, verbal fluency and brain volume. The aim of this review is to analyze the evidence of clinical studies carried out up to date on the relationship between vitamin K intake and cognitive performances. The involvement of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in declining cognitive performances is also addressed separately.

H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy: diagnostic tool in recurrent headache in systemic lupus erythematosus. A case report.

We describe serial MR-spectroscopy studies in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus and headache. We used MR-spectroscopy to monitor disease activity during periods with and without headache. MR-spectroscopy investigates metabolic alterations and was used to explore the pathophysiological mechanism involved in the complications of systemic lupus erythematosus. Our patient underwent serial conventional MRI and MR-spectroscopy at times of controlled and uncontrolled headache, with or without visual aura. MR-spectroscopy showed an increase in the choline/creatine ratio in thalamus and posterior white matter only during periods of uncontrolled headache with visual aura. Conventional MRI scans were normal at all times. MR-spectroscopy should be used in the diagnosis and follow-up of headache in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Cerebral gray matter volume in patients with chronic migraine: correlations with clinical features.

BACKGROUND: To date, few MRI studies have been performed in patients affected by chronic migraine (CM), especially in those without medication overuse. Here, we performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analyses to investigate the gray matter (GM) volume of the whole brain in patients affected by CM. Our aim was to investigate whether fluctuations in the GM volumes were related to the clinical features of CM. METHODS: Twenty untreated patients with CM without a past medical history of medication overuse underwent 3-Tesla MRI scans and were compared to a group of 20 healthy controls (HCs). We used SPM12 and the CAT12 toolbox to process the MRI data and to perform VBM analyses of the structural T1-weighted MRI scans. The GM volume of patients was compared to that of HCs with various corrected and uncorrected thresholds. To check for possible correlations, patients' clinical features and GM maps were regressed. RESULTS: Initially, we did not find significant differences in the GM volume between patients with CM and HCs (p < 0.05 corrected for multiple comparisons). However, using more-liberal uncorrected statistical thresholds, we noted that compared to HCs, patients with CM exhibited clusters of regions with lower GM volumes including the cerebellum, left middle temporal gyrus, left temporal pole/amygdala/hippocampus/pallidum/orbitofrontal cortex, and left occipital areas (Brodmann areas 17/18). The GM volume of the cerebellar hemispheres was negatively correlated with the disease duration and positively correlated with the number of tablets taken per month. CONCLUSION: No gross morphometric changes were observed in patients with CM when compared with HCs. However, using more-liberal uncorrected statistical thresholds, we observed that CM is associated with subtle GM volume changes in several brain areas known to be involved in nociception/antinociception, multisensory integration, and analgesic dependence. We speculate that these slight morphometric impairments could lead, at least in a subgroup of patients, to the development and continuation of maladaptive acute medication usage.

A dual concurrent mechanism explains trigeminal neuralgia in patients with multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: In this clinical and neuroimaging study, we sought information on the possible role of neurovascular compression in multiple sclerosis (MS)-related trigeminal neuralgia (TN). METHODS: After screening 1,628 consecutive patients with MS, we enrolled 28 patients with definite unilateral MS-related TN. In these patients, we acquired dedicated 3T MRI scans, identified pontine demyelinating plaques, and, using highly specific diagnostic criteria, distinguished possible neurovascular compression. RESULTS: MRI scans in most patients showed a demyelinating plaque in the pontine trigeminal root entry zone on the affected side. The frequency of the neurovascular compression and its association with the pontine demyelinating plaque were higher on the affected than on the unaffected side (54% vs 0%; p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Our observation that in many patients with MS-related TN a pontine demyelinating plaque and neurovascular compression coexist should prompt neurologists to seek possible neurovascular compression in patients with MS-related TN.