Imaging the migrainous brain: the present and the future.

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neurology

Background:

• Migraine diagnosis historically relied on clinical assessment.
• Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) aids differential diagnosis and research in migraine patients.
• Understanding migraine pathogenesis has been limited by uncertainties in correlating brain alterations with clinical presentation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the role of advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques in understanding migraine.
• To investigate the potential of quantitative and functional MRI in elucidating brain structures and networks in migraine.

Main Methods:

• Review of advancements in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for migraine evaluation over the past 20 years.
• Application of quantitative and functional MRI approaches.
• Analysis of morphometric and functional MRI data.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in MRI utility for migraine patient evaluation.
• MRI provides insights into differential diagnosis, detecting potential lesions.
• Quantitative and functional MRI techniques show potential for understanding brain structure and network involvement in migraine pathophysiology.

Conclusions:

• Migraine is increasingly viewed as a complex brain disorder.
• Advanced MRI techniques, including morphometric and functional approaches, are crucial for elucidating pain mechanisms and functional adaptations in migraine.
• Further research using MRI can enhance our understanding of the neural basis of migraine.