Relationship between migraine and epilepsy in pediatric age
Paolo Piccinelli1, Renato Borgatti, Francesca Nicoli
1Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, University of Insubria, Macchi Foundation Hospital, Varese, Italy.
Headache
|April 19, 2006
Summary
Migraine with aura in children may be linked to epilepsy, suggesting a shared neurological basis. Specific EEG abnormalities were more common in children with migraine with aura and a history of seizures.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Clinical Neurology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Cortical hyperexcitability is a proposed mechanism for migraine and epilepsy.
- Altered neuronal excitability may involve various biochemical pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate a potential clinical and neurophysiological link between migraine and epilepsy in children.
- To explore shared pathological mechanisms underlying these neurological conditions.
Main Methods:
- Studied 137 children and adolescents diagnosed with tension-type headache or migraine with/without aura.
- Collected data via neurological examination, questionnaires, and electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings.
- Compared EEG findings between headache groups and a control group.
Main Results:
- 10.2% of participants had a history of seizures or epilepsy.
- Migraine with aura (MWA) was the most prevalent headache diagnosis among those with a seizure history.
- Specific interictal EEG abnormalities were found in 43.5% of children with MWA, significantly more than in controls.
Conclusions:
- Findings support a clinical continuum between MWA and epileptic syndromes.
- Suggests shared genetic substrates and altered neuronal excitability in these conditions.
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