Impaired brainstem and thalamic high-frequency oscillatory EEG activity in migraine between attacks

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neurology

Background:

• Migraine without aura (MO) is common, but the role of interictal thalamic dysfunction remains unclear.
• Investigating whether thalamic dysfunction is primary or secondary to somatosensory pathway disconnection is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if interictal thalamic dysfunction in MO patients is a primary cause or a consequence of somatosensory pathway disconnection.
• To explore the relationship between brainstem, thalamic, and cortical activity in MO patients.

Main Methods:

• Electroencephalography (EEG) recording during median nerve stimulation in 20 MO patients and 20 healthy volunteers (HVs).
• Functional source separation to isolate brainstem, thalamus, and cortical sources.
• Analysis of low-frequency (LFO) and high-frequency (HFO) oscillatory activity.

Main Results:

• MO patients exhibited significantly lower bilateral HFO activation in the brainstem and thalamus compared to HVs.
• No significant differences in cortical HFO or LFO peak activations were observed between groups.
• Headache onset age correlated positively with HFO power in the right brainstem and thalamus.

Conclusions:

• Evidence suggests complex dysfunction in brainstem and thalamocortical networks in MO patients.
• Genetic factors may play a role in modulating migraine phenotype severity by influencing these networks.