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Russo A, Silvestro M, Tessitore A, Orologio I, De Rosa AP, De Micco R, Tedeschi G, Esposito F, Cirillo M. Arterial spin labeling MRI applied to migraine: current insights and future perspectives. J Headache Pain 2023; 24:71. [PMID: 37322466 DOI: 10.1186/s10194-023-01597-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Advanced neuroimaging techniques have extensively contributed to elucidate the complex mechanisms underpinning the pathophysiology of migraine, a neurovascular disorder characterized by episodes of headache associated with a constellation of non-pain symptoms. The present manuscript, summarizing the most recent progresses of the arterial spin labelling (ASL) MRI techniques and the most significant findings from ASL studies conducted in migraine, is aimed to clarify how ASL investigations are contributing to the evolving insight on migraine pathophysiology and their putative role in migraine clinical setting. ASL techniques, allowing to quantitatively demonstrate changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) both during the attacks and in the course of interictal period, could represent the melting point between advanced neuroimaging investigations, conducted with pure scientific purposes, and conventional neuroimaging approaches, employed in the diagnostic decision-making processes. MAIN BODY Converging ASL evidences have demonstrated that abnormal CBF, exceeding the boundaries of a single vascular territory, with biphasic trend dominated by an initial hypoperfusion (during the aura phenomenon but also in the first part of the headache phase) followed by hyperperfusion, characterizes migraine with aura attack and can represent a valuable clinical tool in the differential diagnosis from acute ischemic strokes and epileptic seizures. Studies conducted during migraine without aura attacks are converging to highlight the involvement of dorsolateral pons and hypothalamus in migraine pathophysiology, albeit not able to disentangle their role as "migraine generators" from mere attack epiphenomenon. Furthermore, ASL findings tend to support the presence of perfusion abnormalities in brain regions known to be involved in aura ignition and propagation as well as in areas involved in multisensory processing, in both patients with migraine with aura and migraine without aura. CONCLUSION Although ASL studies have dramatically clarified quality and timing of perfusion abnormalities during migraine with aura attacks, the same cannot be said for perfusion changes during migraine attacks without aura and interictal periods. Future studies with more rigorous methodological approaches in terms of study protocol, ASL technique and sample selection and size are mandatory to exploit the possibility of better understanding migraine pathophysiology and identifying neuroimaging biomarkers of each migraine phase in different migraine phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Russo
- Headache Centre, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.
- Advanced MRI Neuroimaging Centre, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.
| | - Marcello Silvestro
- Headache Centre, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Alessandro Tessitore
- Headache Centre, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Ilaria Orologio
- Headache Centre, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Alessandro Pasquale De Rosa
- Advanced MRI Neuroimaging Centre, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Rosa De Micco
- Headache Centre, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Gioacchino Tedeschi
- Headache Centre, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
- Advanced MRI Neuroimaging Centre, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Esposito
- Advanced MRI Neuroimaging Centre, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Mario Cirillo
- Advanced MRI Neuroimaging Centre, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
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Tian Z, Guo Y, Yin T, Xiao Q, Ha G, Chen J, Wang S, Lan L, Zeng F. Acupuncture Modulation Effect on Pain Processing Patterns in Patients With Migraine Without Aura. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:729218. [PMID: 34512254 PMCID: PMC8427167 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.729218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction In this retrospective study, resting-state functional connectivity (FC) in patients with migraine was analyzed to identify potential pathological pain processing patterns and compared them to those in healthy controls (HCs). The FC patterns in patients between pre- and post-acupuncture sessions were also analyzed to determine how acupuncture affects neurological activity and pain perception during the migraine interictal period. Methods In total, 52 patients with migraine without aura (MwoA) and 60 HCs were recruited. Patients with migraine were given acupuncture treatment sessions for 4 weeks. As a primary observation, functional magnetic resonance images were obtained at the beginning and end of the sessions. HCs received no treatment and underwent one functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan after enrollment. After the fMRI data were preprocessed, a region of interest (ROI)-to-ROI analysis was performed with predefined ROIs related to pain processing regions. Results The first analysis showed significantly different FCs between patients with MwoA and HCs [false discovery rate corrected p-value (p-FDR) < 0.05]. The FCs were found to be mainly between the cingulate gyrus (CG) and the insular gyrus, the CG and the inferior parietal lobule (IPL), the CG and the superior frontal gyrus, and the middle frontal gyrus and the IPL. The second analysis indicated that acupuncture treatment partly restored the different FCs found in the first analysis (p-FDR < 0.05). Furthermore, subgroup analysis found different brain activity patterns in headache-intensity restored condition and headache-frequency restored condition. Lastly, the correlation analysis suggested a potential correlation between FCs and clinical symptoms (p < 0.05). Conclusion This study suggests that pain processing is abnormal in migraine, with significantly abnormal FCs in the frontal, parietal, and limbic regions. This finding could be a typical pathological feature of migraine. Acupuncture has been identified to relieve headache symptoms in two ways: it restores the pain processing function and regulates pain perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zilei Tian
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.,Acupuncture and Brain Science Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Yaoguang Guo
- Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Tao Yin
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.,Acupuncture and Brain Science Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Qingqing Xiao
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Guodong Ha
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiyao Chen
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Shuo Wang
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Lei Lan
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.,Acupuncture and Brain Science Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Fang Zeng
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.,Acupuncture and Brain Science Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.,Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province for Acupuncture and Chronobiology, Chengdu, China
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Silvestro M, Tessitore A, Di Nardo F, Scotto di Clemente F, Trojsi F, Cirillo M, Esposito F, Tedeschi G, Russo A. Functional connectivity changes in complex migraine aura: beyond the visual network. Eur J Neurol 2021; 29:295-304. [PMID: 34382315 PMCID: PMC9291958 DOI: 10.1111/ene.15061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Although the majority of migraine with aura (MwA) patients experience simple visual aura, a discrete percentage also report somatosensory, dysphasic or motor symptoms (the so-called complex auras). The wide aura clinical spectrum led to an investigation of whether the heterogeneity of the aura phenomenon could be produced by different neural correlates, suggesting an increased visual cortical excitability in complex MwA. The aim was to explore whether complex MwA patients are characterized by more pronounced connectivity changes of the visual network and whether functional abnormalities may extend beyond the visual network encompassing also the sensorimotor network in complex MwA patients compared to simple visual MwA patients. METHODS By using a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging approach, the resting-state functional connectivity (RS-Fc) of both visual and sensorimotor networks in 20 complex MwA patients was compared with 20 simple visual MwA patients and 20 migraine without aura patients. RESULTS Complex MwA patients showed a significantly higher RS-Fc of the left lingual gyrus, within the visual network, and of the right anterior insula, within the sensorimotor network, compared to both simple visual MwA and migraine without aura patients (p < 0.001). The abnormal right anterior insula RS-Fc was able to discriminate complex MwA patients from simple aura MwA patients as demonstrated by logistic regression analysis (area under the curve 0.83). CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that higher extrastriate RS-Fc might promote cortical spreading depression onset representing the neural correlate of simple visual aura that can propagate to sensorimotor regions if an increased insula RS-Fc coexists, leading to complex aura phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcello Silvestro
- Headache Center, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy.,MRI Research Centre SUN-FISM, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy
| | - Alessandro Tessitore
- Headache Center, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy.,MRI Research Centre SUN-FISM, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy
| | - Federica Di Nardo
- MRI Research Centre SUN-FISM, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Scotto di Clemente
- Headache Center, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy.,MRI Research Centre SUN-FISM, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy
| | - Francesca Trojsi
- Headache Center, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy.,MRI Research Centre SUN-FISM, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy
| | - Mario Cirillo
- Headache Center, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy.,MRI Research Centre SUN-FISM, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Esposito
- MRI Research Centre SUN-FISM, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy
| | - Gioacchino Tedeschi
- Headache Center, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy.,MRI Research Centre SUN-FISM, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Russo
- Headache Center, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy.,MRI Research Centre SUN-FISM, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy
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Gollion C. Cortical excitability in migraine: Contributions of magnetic resonance imaging. Rev Neurol (Paris) 2021; 177:809-815. [PMID: 34332777 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2021.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2021] [Revised: 07/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Migraine is characterized by symptoms related to cortical hyperexcitability such as photophobia, phonophobia, osmophobia and allodynia. One-third of migraineurs experience aura, whose neurophysiological substrate is thought to be cortical spreading depression (CSD). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has shown the migraine aura to be characterized by cerebral hyperactivity/hyperperfusion followed by hypometabolism/hypoperfusion spreading along the occipital cortex with the same spatiotemporal organization as the experimentally triggered CSD. The link between migraine aura and headache remains undetermined. Neuroimaging studies have failed to show a leakage of the blood-brain barrier, which was suspected to occur during CSD and to cause the stimulation of trigeminal nociceptive receptors. However, recent studies have highlighted the involvement of neuroglial inflammation and other studies have suggested that a common central network plays a role in the link between CSD and migraine pain. Finally, MRI has made it possible to study the contribution of metabolites such as glutamic acid, γ-amino-butyric acid and sodium in the pathophysiology of hyperexcitability in migraine.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Gollion
- Department of Neurology, University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France; ToNIC, Toulouse NeuroImaging Center, University of Toulouse, INSERM, Toulouse, France.
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