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Neural correlates of visuospatial processing in migraine: does the pain network help?
Roberta Messina1,2,3, Alessandro Meani1, Gianna C Riccitelli4
1Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
Molecular Psychiatry
|April 10, 2021
Summary
Migraine patients show altered brain activity during visuospatial tasks, particularly in color discrimination. Functional brain plasticity may help them compensate for cognitive deficits, recruiting areas involved in pain processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neurology
Background:
- Migraine is often associated with cognitive symptoms affecting visuospatial abilities, processing speed, attention, and executive functions.
- Understanding the neural basis of these cognitive deficits is crucial for developing targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cognitive performance of migraine patients during a visuospatial task.
- To explore the brain activity patterns associated with visuospatial processing in migraine.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess brain activity during angle and color discrimination tasks in 17 migraine patients and 16 controls.
- Behavioral performance, clinical, and neuropsychological variables were correlated with fMRI findings.
Main Results:
- Migraine patients exhibited preserved behavioral performance in the angle discrimination task but showed deficits in the color discrimination task compared to controls.
- fMRI revealed increased activity in the right insula, orbitofrontal cortex, and medial frontal gyrus, and decreased activity in the posterior cingulate cortex in migraine patients.
- Better performance on the angle task correlated with higher activation in the right insula and orbitofrontal cortex and decreased activation in the right posterior cingulate cortex.
Conclusions:
- Migraine patients may exhibit adaptive functional plasticity to compensate for impaired visuospatial skills.
- These compensatory mechanisms involve recruiting brain areas also associated with nociception, suggesting a link between pain processing and cognitive function in migraine.
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