Microstructural differences in migraine: A diffusion-tensor imaging study

Abstract

Background: Diffusion-tensor imaging can be applied to describe the microstructural integrity of the whole brain. As findings about microstructural alterations in migraine are inconsistent, we aimed to replicate the most frequent results and assess a relationship between migraine parameters and changes in microstructure.

Methods: Diffusion-weighted MRI data of 37 migraine patients and 40 controls were collected. Two indices of diffusion of water molecules, fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity were used in a voxel-wise analysis. Group comparisons were carried out in SPM12 using age and sex as covariates. Statistically significant results survived family-wise error correction (p_FWE < 0.05). Migraine intensity, frequency, and duration were self-reported and correlated with mean fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity values across clusters.

Results: Migraine patients showed significantly lower fractional anisotropy in occipital regions, and significantly higher fractional anisotropy in thirteen clusters across the brain. Mean diffusivity of migraine patients was significantly decreased in the cerebellum and pons, but it was not increased in any area. Correlation between migraine duration and fractional anisotropy was significantly positive in the frontal cortex and significantly negative in the superior parietal lobule.

Conclusion: We suggest that microstructural integrity of the migraine brain is impaired in visual areas and shows duration-related alterations in regions of the default mode network.

Keywords: Migraine; default mode network; diffusion-tensor imaging; microstructural integrity.