Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 21, 2026
3D-Neuronavigation In Vivo Through a Patient's Brain During a Spontaneous Migraine Headache
Published on: June 2, 2014
Volumetric brain changes in migraineurs from the general population
Inge H Palm-Meinders1, Enrico B Arkink1, Hille Koppen1
1From the Department of Radiology (I.H.P.-M., E.B.A., S.A, M.A.v.B., M.C.K.) and Department of Neurology (H.K., G.M.T., M.D.F.), Leiden University Medical Center; Department of Neurology (H.K.), Haga Hospital, The Hague, the Netherlands; and Laboratory of Epidemiology, Demography and Biometry (L.J.L.), NIH, Bethesda, MD.
Migraine patients show subtle gray matter volume reductions in visual processing areas of the brain. These brain changes in migraineurs occur regardless of aura or disease activity, suggesting shared pathways.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Radiology
Background:
- Migraine is a common neurological disorder.
- Understanding the underlying brain structure in migraineurs is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess volumetric brain changes in migraineurs compared to headache-free controls.
- To investigate if these changes differ based on migraine aura or disease activity.
Main Methods:
- Voxel-based morphometry analysis of T1-weighted MRI scans.
- Comparison of regional gray matter volume between 84 migraineurs and 35 controls.
- Region-of-interest and whole-brain analyses, corrected for age, sex, and total intracranial volume.
Main Results:
- Migraineurs exhibited decreased gray matter volume in the right occipital cortex (visual areas V3 and V5) compared to controls.
- These volumetric changes were consistent across migraineurs with and without aura, and across different disease activity levels.
- Exploratory analyses revealed additional structural differences in visual processing areas.
Conclusions:
- Migraineurs demonstrate subtle volumetric brain changes, primarily in visual motion processing areas.
- The findings suggest shared pathophysiological mechanisms in migraine with and without aura.
- These structural changes may be irreversible or lifelong.
