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Published on: June 2, 2014
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No differences in subcortical volume between people with and without migraine: A REFORM study
Basit Ali Chaudhry1,2, Rune Häckert Christensen1,2,3, Håkan Ashina1,3
1Department of Neurology, Danish Headache Center, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Headache
|November 14, 2025
Summary
This study found no significant differences in subcortical brain volumes between individuals with migraine and healthy controls. These findings suggest that subcortical volume is not a reliable imaging biomarker for migraine diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Radiology
- Neurology
Background:
- Subcortical structures are implicated in pain processing and sensory integration, potentially playing a role in migraine pathophysiology.
- Previous studies on volumetric differences in these structures in migraine patients have yielded conflicting results.
- This research aims to clarify subcortical volume differences in migraine using a large cohort and advanced imaging techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate volumetric differences in specific subcortical structures between individuals with migraine and healthy controls.
- To examine whether these volumes vary across different migraine subtypes and phases (e.g., episodic vs. chronic, aura vs. no aura, ictal vs. headache-free).
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 295 adult participants with migraine and 154 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 3T was used to acquire T1-weighted scans.
- Automated segmentation techniques were employed to measure the volumes of key subcortical structures, including the thalamus, putamen, caudate nucleus, pallidum, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and hippocampus.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in thalamic or hippocampal volumes were found between migraine patients and healthy controls.
- Analysis revealed no volumetric differences in any other examined subcortical structures between the groups.
- Subgroup analyses also showed no volumetric variations across different migraine subtypes or phases, even after multiple comparison correction.
Conclusions:
- This large study found no evidence of subcortical volume differences in adults with migraine compared to healthy controls.
- No volumetric differences were observed across various migraine subtypes or phases.
- Subcortical volumetric measures are unlikely to serve as effective imaging biomarkers for migraine; future research should focus on functional and metabolic alterations.
