Does migraine headache affect cognitive function in the elderly? Report from the Maastricht Aging Study (MAAS)
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Updated: Oct 10, 2026

Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
M Jelicic1, M P van Boxtel, P J Houx
1Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht Brain and Behavior Institute and European Graduate School of Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to examine two aspects of cognitive functioning-information processing speed and memory-in both young/middle-aged and older subjects with and without migraine, using data from a large population-based sample. We found that, although age had a large effect on processing speed and memory, migraine did not influence cognitive performance. In addition, there was no significant interaction between age and migraine on processing speed and memory. Our results suggest that, in the general population, migraine does not seriously affect cognitive functioning in young/middle-aged or older adults.
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