Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026

A Multimodal Imaging- and Stimulation-based Method of Evaluating Connectivity-related Brain Excitability in Patients with Epilepsy
Published on: November 13, 2016
Cortical excitability in migraine and epilepsy: a common feature?
Radwa A B Badawy1, Graeme D Jackson
1Department of Neurology, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Australia. badawyr@unimelb.edu.au
Objective:
There is evidence for comorbidity of migraine and epilepsy. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to assess cortical excitability in migraine compared with control subjects and patients with epilepsy.
Methods:
Twenty-six patients drug-naive patients with newly diagnosed migraine were studied. These were compared with 19 healthy control subjects and 50 patients with new onset epilepsy. Motor threshold (MT) and responses to paired pulse stimulation at short (2, 5, 10, and 15 milliseconds) and long (50-400 milliseconds) interstimulus intervals (ISIs) were measured.
Results:
Compared with control subjects, cortical excitability was higher in migraine only at 250 milliseconds (P < 0.05; effect size 0.7), while in epilepsy, it was higher at 2, 5, 250, and 300 milliseconds. Compared with epilepsy, cortical excitability was lower in migraine only at 250 milliseconds (P < 0.05; effect size 0.6 compared with focal epilepsy and 1.1 compared with idiopathic generalized epilepsy [IGE]).
Conclusions:
Cortical excitability increases in migraine suggesting the involvement of intracortical inhibitory circuits. This may be a common feature underlying some of the similarities observed in migraine and epilepsy.
More Related Videos
13:14Multi-electrode Array Recordings of Human Epileptic Postoperative Cortical Tissue
Published on: October 26, 2014
06:28High-Quality Seizure-Like Activity from Acute Brain Slices Using a Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor High-Density Microelectrode Array System
Published on: September 27, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...
Seizures: Classification
Seizures are typically classified into two main categories: focal and generalized seizures.
Focal Seizures
Focal seizures originate from specific regions of the brain. These seizures are further sub-classified into two types:
Epilepsy ll: Types
Seizures l: Introduction
Antiepileptic Drugs: Glutamate Antagonists