Alterations of structural connectivity in episodic cluster headache: A graph theoretical analysis

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neurology
• Graph Theory

Background:

• Cluster headache (CH) is a debilitating neurological disorder.
• Previous research suggests potential brain structural abnormalities in CH.
• Understanding these alterations is crucial for identifying disease mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate structural brain volumes and connectivity using graph theoretical analysis in episodic cluster headache patients.
• To compare these metrics between CH patients and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 10 episodic cluster headache patients and 20 healthy controls.
• Acquired 3-D volumetric T1-weighted MRI scans for all participants.
• Analyzed structural volumes using FreeSurfer and performed connectivity analysis using BRAPH.

Main Results:

• Patients with cluster headache exhibited decreased volumes in the left caudal anterior cingulate and postcentral gyrus.
• Significant hub re-organization was observed in local structural connectivity, with decreased strength and centrality in several brain regions.
• Global structural connectivity measures did not differ between groups.

Conclusions:

• Structural volumes and local connectivity are significantly altered in cluster headache patients compared to healthy individuals.
• Hub re-organization in specific brain regions suggests a network-based pathology for cluster headache.
• These findings implicate network alterations in the pathogenesis of cluster headache, supporting its classification as a network disease.