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. 2020 Oct 6:14:567588.
doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.567588. eCollection 2020.

Functional Alterations in the Posterior Insula and Cerebellum in Migraine Without Aura: A Resting-State MRI Study

Jun Ke  1   2 , Yang Yu  1   2 , Xiaodong Zhang  3 , Yunyan Su  1   2 , Ximing Wang  1   2 , Su Hu  1   2 , Hui Dai  1   2 , Chunhong Hu  1   2 , Hongru Zhao  4 , Lingling Dai  1   2
Affiliations

Functional Alterations in the Posterior Insula and Cerebellum in Migraine Without Aura: A Resting-State MRI Study

Jun Ke et al. Front Behav Neurosci. .

Abstract

Background: Hypothesis-driven functional connectivity (FC) analyses have revealed abnormal functional interaction of regions or networks involved in pain processing in episodic migraine patients. We aimed to investigate the resting-state FC patterns in episodic migraine by combining data-driven voxel-wise degree centrality (DC) calculation and seed-based FC analysis. Methods: Thirty-nine patients suffering from episodic migraine without aura and 35 healthy controls underwent clinical assessment and functional MRI. DC was analyzed voxel-wise and compared between groups, and FC of regions with DC differences were further examined using a seed-based approach. Results: Compared with the control group, the migraine group showed increased and decreased DC in the right posterior insula and left crus I, respectively. Seed-based FC analyses revealed that migraine patients demonstrated increased right posterior insula connections with the postcentral gyrus, supplementary motor area/paracentral lobule, fusiform gyrus and temporal pole. The left crus I showed decreased FC with regions of the default mode network (DMN), including the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), angular gyrus, medial and lateral temporal cortex in patients with migraine. Furthermore, pain intensity positively correlated with DC in the right amygdala/parahippocampal gyrus, and migraine frequency negatively correlated with FC between the left crus I and mPFC. Conclusion: Patients with episodic migraine without aura have increased FC with the right posterior insula and decreased FC within the DMN, which may underlie disturbed sensory integration and cognitive processing of pain. The left crus I-mPFC connectivity may be a useful biomarker for assessing migraine frequency.

Keywords: degree centrality; functional connectivity; functional magnetic resonance imaging; migraine; resting-state.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Brain regions with DC alterations in migraine. Compared with healthy controls, patients with episodic migraine without aura show significantly increased DC values in the right posterior insula (A) and decreased DC values in the left crus I (B). DC, degree centrality.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Brain regions showing altered FC with the right posterior insula and left crus I in migraine. Relative to the control group, the migraine group shows increased FC of the right posterior insula with the right postcentral gyrus, bilateral supplementary motor area, paracentral lobule, and temporal pole and left fusiform gyrus. (A) Patients with migraine show decreased FC between the left crus I and regions of the default mode network, including the bilateral medial prefrontal cortex, angular gyrus, and medial and lateral temporal cortex (B). FC, functional connectivity.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Correlation of DC and FC with clinical features. Across all patients with migraine, pain intensity positively correlates with DC values in the right amygdala/PHG. (A) Migraine frequency negatively correlates with FC between the left crus I and medial prefrontal cortex (B). DC, degree centrality; FC, functional connectivity; PHG, parahippocampal gyrus.
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