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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
Increased default mode network connectivity and increased regional homogeneity in migraineurs without aura
Jilei Zhang1, Jingjing Su2, Mengxing Wang1
1Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhong-Shan Road, Shanghai, 200062, People's Republic of China.
Background:
The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex, which has been associated with pain sensitivity, plays a pivotal role in the default mode network. However, information regarding migraine-related alterations in resting-state brain functional connectivity in the default mode network and in local regional spontaneous neuronal activity is not adequate.
Methods:
This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to acquire resting-state scans in 22 migraineurs without aura and in 22 healthy matched controls. Independent component analysis, a data-driven method, was used to calculate the resting-state functional connectivity of the default mode network in the patient and healthy control groups. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) was used to analyse the local features of spontaneous resting-state brain activity in the migraineurs without aura.
Results:
Compared with the healthy controls, migraineurs without aura showed increased functional connectivity in the left precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex within the default mode network and significant increase in ReHo values in the bilateral precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex, left pons and trigeminal nerve entry zone. In addition, functional connectivity was decreased between the areas with abnormal ReHo (using the peaks in the precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex) and other brain areas.
Conclusions:
The abnormalities in the precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex suggest that migraineurs without aura may exhibit information transfer and multimodal integration dysfunction and that pain sensitivity and pian processing may also be affected.
