Abstract
BackgroundMigraine is a neurological disorder characterized by intense, debilitating headaches, often coupled with nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. Whilst changes in sensory processes during a migraine attack have been well-described, there is growing evidence that even between migraine attacks, sensory abilities are disrupted in migraine. Brain imaging studies have investigated altered coupling between areas of the descending pain modulatory pathway but coupling between somatosensory processing regions between migraine attacks has not been properly studied. The aim of this study was to determine if ongoing functional connectivity between visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory and somatosensory cortices are altered during the interictal phase of migraine.MethodsTo explore the neural mechanisms underpinning interictal changes in sensory processing, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to compare resting brain activity patterns and connectivity in migraineurs between migraine attacks (n = 32) and in healthy controls (n = 71). Significant differences between groups were determined using two-sample random effects procedures (p < 0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons, minimum cluster size 10 contiguous voxels, age and gender included as nuisance variables).ResultsIn the migraine group, increases in infra-slow oscillatory activity were detected in the right primary visual cortex (V1), secondary visual cortex (V2) and third visual complex (V3), and left V3. In addition, resting connectivity analysis revealed that migraineurs displayed significantly enhanced connectivity between V1 and V2 with other sensory cortices including the auditory, gustatory, motor and somatosensory cortices.ConclusionsThese data provide evidence for a dysfunctional sensory network in pain-free migraine patients which may be underlying altered sensory processing between migraine attacks.
Highlights
Migraine is a neurological disorder characterized by intense, debilitating headaches, often coupled with nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound
We have previously reported changes in resting activity levels and patterns in the visual cortex of migraineurs [17], and we aim to determine if ongoing functional connectivity patterns between visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory and somatosensory cortices are altered during the interictal phase
Infra-slow oscillations Comparison of resting 0.03–0.06 Hz power revealed a number of clusters in the occipital lobe in which power was signficantly different between controls and migraineurs (Fig. 1; Table 2)
Summary
Migraine is a neurological disorder characterized by intense, debilitating headaches, often coupled with nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. One third of migraineurs experience focal transient symptoms of visual aura preceding the onset of a migraine headache [2], and most migraineurs experience photophobia, whereby headaches are Whilst changes in sensory processing during a migraine is well-described, it is increasingly evident that altered sensory processing occurs between migraine attacks [5, 7]. Migraineurs display altered somatosensory processing characterized by reduced thermal and mechanical pain thresholds between migraine attacks [13]. Olfactory and visual hypersensitivities and auditory and somatosensory hypersensitivities are often coupled [12, 14] These reports strongly suggest that even during the interictal phase, brain circuits that process visual, auditory, olfactory and somatosensory information displayed altered sensitivities and increased coupling compared with non-migraine controls
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