Aberrant structural-functional connectivity coupling in migraineurs is associated with mental behavioral scores and...

Previous studies have revealed the presence of brain network abnormalities in structural and functional connectivity in migraineurs. However, the underlying mechanisms of structural and functional connectivity (SC-FC) coupling in migraineurs remain unclear. This study is the first to explore the mechanisms of SC-FC coupling in migraineurs using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion kurtosis imaging methods. We collected multimodal magnetic resonance imaging data from 54 healthy controls and 72 migraineurs. We compared SC-FC coupling at the regional level and at the network level between the two groups, and we correlated the differential SC-FC coupling signals with clinical scales and neurotransmitter profiles. Significant differences in regional diffusion tensor SC-FC coupling in the Right_ContB_IPL_2 and Right_SomMotB_S2_2 regions were observed in migraineurs compared to healthy controls. Compared to healthy controls, there were significant differences in diffusion kurtosis SC-FC coupling at the network level of the somatomotor network, frontoparietal control network and default mode network in migraineurs. Diffusion kurtosis SC-FC coupling in the dorsal attention network and anxiety scores were significantly correlated in migraineurs. Differences between the two groups in the diffusion tensor SC-FC coupling were significantly associated with 5-hydroxytryptamine 2a. Our results suggest the presence of an abnormal pattern of SC-FC coupling in migraineurs that is associated with mental behavior and neurotransmission. Diffusion kurtosis SC-FC coupling and diffusion tensor SC-FC coupling provide different perspectives for exploring the coupling mechanisms of brain networks.