Abstract
BackgroundMigraine constitutes a global health burden, and its pathophysiology is not well-understood; research evaluating cerebral perfusion and altered blood flow between brain areas using non-invasive imaging techniques, such as arterial spin labeling, have been scarce. This study aimed to assess cerebral blood flow (CBF) and its connectivity of migraine.MethodsThis study enrolled 40 patients with episodic migraine without aura (MwoA), as well as 42 healthy patients as control (HC). Two groups of normalized CBF and CBF connectivity were compared, and the relationship between CBF variation and clinical scale assessment was further evaluated.ResultsIn comparison to HC subjects, MwoA patients exhibited higher CBF in the right middle frontal orbital gyrus (ORBmid.R) and the right middle frontal gyrus, while that in Vermis_6 declined. The increased CBF of ORBmid.R was positively correlated with both the Visual Light Sensitivity Questionnaire-8 (VLSQ-8) and the monthly attack frequency score. In MwoA, significantly decreased CBF connectivity was detected between ORBmid.R and the left superior frontal gyrus, the right putamen, the right caudate, as well as the right angular gyrus. In addition, increased CBF connectivity was observed between the left calcarine cortex and ORBmid.R.ConclusionsOur results indicate that migraine patients exhibit abnormalities in regional CBF and feature CBF connection defects at the resting state. The affected areas involve information perception, information integration, and emotional, pain and visual processing. Our findings might provide important clues for the pathophysiology of migraine.
Highlights
Migraine constitutes a global health burden, and its pathophysiology is not well-understood; research evaluating cerebral perfusion and altered blood flow between brain areas using non-invasive imaging techniques, such as arterial spin labeling, have been scarce
This study aimed to detect the pattern of cerebral blood flow (CBF) at the interictal phase of episodic migraine without aura (MwoA) and establish the relationships between changes in CBF and clinical scale assessment
There is no significant difference in age, gender and education level between the two groups
Summary
Migraine constitutes a global health burden, and its pathophysiology is not well-understood; research evaluating cerebral perfusion and altered blood flow between brain areas using non-invasive imaging techniques, such as arterial spin labeling, have been scarce. This study aimed to assess cerebral blood flow (CBF) and its connectivity of migraine. For the period 1990–2017, migraine, a prevalent primary headache disorder, was considered the second most frequent factor associated with disability-adjusted life years according to the Global Burden of Disease study [1]. The pathogenesis of migraine has not been fully established. Triptan drugs are clinically effective antimigraine drugs developed according to this hypothesis. Triptans only have a slight constriction effect on blood vessels under physiological conditions, but can make abnormally dilated blood vessels and meningeal blood vessels constrict significantly [4]. The visual cortex, the limbic system, as well as pain and cognitive networks are involved in the process of migraine [5–10]
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