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Updated: Mar 13, 2026
3D-Neuronavigation In Vivo Through a Patient's Brain During a Spontaneous Migraine Headache
Published on: June 2, 2014
Thalamo-cortical network activity during spontaneous migraine attacks.
Gianluca Coppola1, Antonio Di Renzo2, Emanuele Tinelli2
1From the Research Unit of Neurophysiology of Vision and Neurophthalmology (G.C., A.D.R., V.P.), G.B. Bietti Foundation IRCCS, Rome; Department of Neurology and Psychiatry (E.T.), Neuroradiology Section, "Sapienza" University of Rome; Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus Foundation (C.D.L.), Milan; Laboratory of Psychophysiology (C.D.L.), Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata"; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies (M.S., F.P.), "Sapienza" University of Rome Polo Pontino, Latina; IRCCS Neuromed (F.P.), Pozzilli (IS), Italy; and Headache Research Unit (J.S.), Department of Neurology-CHR Citadelle, University of Liège, Belgium. gianluca.coppola@gmail.com.
Migraine attacks show altered brain network connectivity between the thalamus and attention networks. This dysfunction may explain cognitive issues and worsen with more frequent migraine headaches.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Brain Networks
Background:
- Migraine is a common neurological disorder often associated with cognitive dysfunction.
- The thalamus plays a crucial role in relaying sensory information and regulating consciousness.
- Thalamo-cortical network integrity is vital for cognitive functions potentially affected during migraine.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate alterations in thalamo-cortical networks and thalamic microstructure during migraine attacks.
- To correlate structural and functional brain changes with clinical migraine features.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 3T MRI, including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI).
- Analyzed 13 patients with migraine without aura (MI) during an attack and 19 healthy controls (HC).
- Employed independent component analysis (ICA) to assess functional connectivity and calculated fractional anisotropy (FA) for thalamic microstructure.
Main Results:
- Reduced functional connectivity was observed between executive and dorso-ventral attention networks in MI patients compared to HC.
- A significant inverse correlation between thalamic microstructure (FA) and attention network connectivity was found in HC, but not in MI patients.
- In MI patients, higher executive control network connectivity correlated with fewer monthly migraine days.
Conclusions:
- Migraine attacks are associated with abnormal resting-state connectivity between the thalamus and attentional networks.
- These connectivity deficits may underlie the observed ictal impairment of cognitive performance during migraine.
- Increased migraine frequency might be linked to worsening thalamo-cortical network abnormalities.
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