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Updated: Apr 28, 2026

Assessing Cortical Cerebral Microinfarcts on High Resolution MR Images
Published on: November 20, 2015
Migraine, white matter hyperintensities, and subclinical brain infarction in a diverse community: the northern
Teshamae Monteith1, Hannah Gardener2, Tatjana Rundek2
1From the Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of Miami, FL (T.M., H.G., T.R., C. Dong, R.L.S., C.B.W.); Department of Neurology, Hokuriku National Hospital, Nanto, Japan (M.Y.); Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons and Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY (M.S.V.E.); and Department of Neurology, Imaging of Dementia and Aging Laboratory, University of California, Davis (C. DeCarli). tmonteith@med.miami.edu.
Background And Purpose:
Migraine with aura is a risk factor for ischemic stroke. The goals of this study are to examine the association between migraine and subclinical cerebrovascular damage in a race/ethnically diverse older population-based cohort study.
Methods:
In the Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS), we quantified subclinical brain infarctions and white matter hyperintensity volumes among participants with self-reported migraine, confirmed by the International Classification of Headache Disorders-2 criteria.
Results:
Of 546 study participants with imaging and migraine data (41% men; mean age at MRI, 71±8 years; mostly Hispanic [65%]), those reporting migraine overall had double the odds of subclinical brain infarction (adjusted odds ratio, 2.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-4.2) when compared with those reporting no migraine, after adjusting for sociodemographics and vascular risk factors. No association was observed between migraine with or without aura and white matter hyperintensity volume.
Conclusions:
Migraine may be a risk factor for subclinical brain infarction. Prospective studies are needed in race/ethnically diverse populations.
Related Concept Videos
Ischemic Stroke l: Introduction
Aneurysm II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies

