Aberrant activity within auditory network is associated with psychiatric comorbidities in interictal migraineurs without aura

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore associations between brain activity in the auditory cortex and clinical and psychiatric characteristics in patients with migraine without aura (MwoA) during interictal periods. Resting-state data were acquired from patients with episodic MwoA (n = 34) and healthy controls (n = 30). Independent component analysis was used to extract and calculate the resting-state auditory network. Subsequently, we analyzed the correlations between spontaneous activity in the auditory cortex and clinical and psychiatric features in interictal MwoA. Compared with healthy controls, patients with MwoA showed increased activity in the left superior temporal gyrus (STG), postcentral gyrus (PoCG) and insula. Brain activity in the left STG was positively correlated with anxiety scores, and activity in the left PoCG was negatively correlated with anxiety and depression scores. No significant differences were found in intracranial volume between the two groups. This study indicated that functional impairment and altered integration linked to the auditory cortex existed in patients with MwoA in the interictal period, suggesting that auditory-associated cortex disruption as a biomarker may be implemented for the early diagnosis and prediction of neuropsychiatric impairment in interictal MwoA patients.

Keywords: Anxiety; Auditory cortex; Depression; Migraine without aura; fMRI.