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Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in patients with migraine
1Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Kitasato University, Japan.
Abstract:
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was studied in 91 patients with migraine and in 98 controls. Risk factors known to cause MRI lesions were carefully examined. In 36 patients with migraine (39.6%), small foci of high intensity on T2-weighted and proton-density-weighted images were seen in the white matter. Of patients with migraine who were less than 40 years old and without any risk factor, 29.4% showed lesions on MRI; this was significantly higher than the 11.2% for the group of age-matched controls (n = 98). The lesions were distributed predominantly in the centrum semiovale and frontal white matter in young patients, but extended to the deeper white matter at the level of basal ganglia in the older age group. The side of the MRI lesions did not always correspond to the side of usual aura or headache. Migraine-related variables such as type of migraine, frequency, duration or intensity of headache or consumption of ergotamine showed no significant correlation with the incidence of MRI abnormalities. Our data indicated that migraine may be associated with early pathologic changes in the brain.
Insights
Migraine patients show early brain changes on MRI scans. Young migraineurs without risk factors had significantly more white matter lesions than controls, suggesting a link between migraine and brain pathology.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Radiology
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Migraine is a common neurological disorder.
- Brain imaging studies in migraine patients have yielded varied results.
- Understanding potential early brain changes in migraine is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and characteristics of brain lesions in migraine patients using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
- To compare MRI findings in migraine patients with age-matched controls, particularly focusing on younger individuals without known risk factors.
- To explore correlations between migraine characteristics and MRI abnormalities.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 91 migraine patients and 98 healthy controls.
- Detailed examination of known risk factors for MRI lesions.
- Analysis of T2-weighted and proton-density-weighted MRI sequences to identify white matter hyperintensities.
- Stratification of patients by age and presence of risk factors.
Main Results:
- 39.6% of migraine patients exhibited white matter lesions on MRI.
- Younger migraine patients (<40 years) without risk factors showed significantly higher lesion prevalence (29.4%) compared to controls (11.2%).
- Lesion location varied with age, and MRI findings did not consistently correlate with headache side or migraine characteristics.
Conclusions:
- Migraine may be associated with early pathological changes in the brain.
- MRI-detected white matter lesions are more common in migraine patients, especially younger ones without other risk factors.
- These findings suggest that migraine itself could contribute to subtle brain alterations.