Attention orienting dysfunction with preserved automatic auditory change detection in migraine

Abstract

Objective: To investigate automatic event-related potentials (ERPs) to an auditory change in migraine patients.

Methods: Auditory ERPs were recorded in 22 female patients suffering from menstrually-related migraine and in 20 age-matched control subjects, in three sessions: in the middle of the menstrual cycle, before and during menses. In each session, 200 trains of tone-bursts each including two duration deviants were presented in a passive listening condition.

Results: In all sessions, duration deviance elicited a mismatch negativity (MMN) showing no difference between the two groups. However, migraine patients showed an increased N1 orienting component to all incoming stimuli and a prolonged N2b to deviance. They also presented a different modulation of P3a amplitude along the menstrual cycle, which tended to normalise during migraine attacks. None of the studied ERP components showed a default of habituation.

Conclusions: This passive paradigm highlighted increased automatic attention orienting to auditory changes but normal auditory sensory processing in migraineurs.

Significance: Our observations suggest normal auditory processing up to attention triggering but enhanced activation of attention-related frontal networks in migraineurs.

Keywords: Attention orienting; Event-related potentials; MMN; Migraine; N2b; P3a.