Diffusion Tensor Imaging-Based Glymphatic Dysfunction Assessments in Migraine Syndromes: Mechanisms and Diagnostic...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Neuroimaging
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Migraine is a prevalent neurological disorder.
• Impaired glymphatic clearance is increasingly linked to migraine pathogenesis.
• Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is being investigated for glymphatic status assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in identifying DTI metrics for migraine patients.
• To evaluate the current utility and applicability of DTI in understanding migraine.
• To synthesize evidence on DTI's role in migraine pathophysiology.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of studies published since 2020.
• Analysis of DTI metrics applied to migraine populations.
• Focus on whole-brain and region-of-interest analyses, particularly along perivascular spaces.
• Comparison of DTI parameters between migraineurs and controls, and correlation with migraine subtypes.

Main Results:

• Evidence on DTI metric applicability in migraine subpopulations is mixed.
• Studies have extracted quantitative parameters from specified regions.
• Conflicting results exist regarding the utility and applicability of DTI for migraine diagnosis and subtype assessment.

Conclusions:

• Current DTI studies in migraine yield conflicting results.
• Further research into the molecular links between migraine pathophysiology and the glymphatic system is needed.
• Future studies with larger cohorts and advanced analytics are crucial for clarifying DTI's role in migraine.