Selective attention network impairment during the interictal period of migraine without aura

Attention deficits have been demonstrated in migraine patients during the interictal period, but these findings are not consistent across all studies. These inconsistencies may arise due to the different aspects of attention measured by various psychometric tests. Current theories divide attention into three separate domains subserved by separate networks: alerting, orienting, and executive control. The attention network test (ANT) was developed to measure all three attention networks and so may reveal more specific attention deficits among migraineurs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the attention function of migraine without aura (MwoA) patients using a series of neuropsychological scales and the ANT, and to assess the relationships between attention function and headache characteristics (e.g., history, frequency, and duration of each attack). Our results showed that MwoA patients exhibited significantly longer response times (RTs) of the executive control network, whereas no significant differences were observed in alerting and orienting network RTs between groups. MwoA patients also exhibited poorer performance than health control (HC) on the Stroop III and Shape Trail test B (STT B) tests. Spearman's analysis revealed positive correlations between executive control network RTs and both frequency and duration of migraine attack. MwoA patients demonstrate impairments of the executive control network, which appear to be exacerbated by more frequent and longer migraine attacks.