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Updated: May 30, 2026
07:30
Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions
Published on: April 23, 2021
Migraine and cognitive decline in the population-based EVA study.
Pamela M Rist1, Carole Dufouil, M Maria Glymour
1Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Cephalalgia : an International Journal of Headache
|August 6, 2011
Summary
Migraine does not accelerate cognitive decline. This study found no increased risk of worsening cognitive function over 4-5 years in individuals with migraine compared to those without.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Cognitive Science
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Previous research on migraine and cognitive function yielded inconsistent results.
- Many studies lacked the ability to assess changes in cognitive function over time or used limited cognitive assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the longitudinal relationship between migraine status and cognitive function changes.
- To determine if migraine is associated with accelerated cognitive decline.
Main Methods:
- A prospective cohort study involving 1170 participants from the Epidemiology of Vascular Ageing Study.
- Migraine status was assessed, and cognitive function was measured using nine tests at multiple time points over 4-5 years.
- Linear mixed-effects models analyzed the association between migraine and cognitive change, adjusting for covariates.
Main Results:
- Participants were categorized into no severe headache (938), migraine (167), and non-migraine headache (65).
- No significant difference in cognitive decline rates was observed between migraineurs and non-migraineurs across cognitive domains, including the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE).
- Interestingly, individuals with migraine showed less cognitive decline over time on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (p=0.02).
Conclusions:
- Migraine was not associated with an increased rate of cognitive decline over the study period.
- The findings suggest that migraine does not negatively impact long-term cognitive trajectories.
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