Gianluca Coppola1, Antonio Di Renzo2, Emanuele Tinelli3, Chiara Lepre4, Elisa Iacovelli4, Cherubino Di Lorenzo5, Giorgio Di Lorenzo6, Vincenzo Parisi2, Mariano Serrao7, Flavia Pauri4, Giancarlo Fiermonte4, Claudio Colonnese4, Jean Schoenen8, Francesco Pierelli9. 1. Department of Neurophysiology of Vision and Neuro-ophthalmology, G.B. Bietti Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy. gianluca.coppola@gmail.com. 2. Department of Neurophysiology of Vision and Neuro-ophthalmology, G.B. Bietti Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy. 3. Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Neuroradiology section, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy. 4. Department of medico-surgical sciences and biotechnologies, Neurology section, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy. 5. Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus Foundation, Milan, Italy. 6. Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Laboratory of Psychophysiology, Psychiatric Clinic, Rome, Italy. 7. Department of medico-surgical sciences and biotechnologies, "Sapienza" University of Rome Polo Pontino, Latina, Italy. 8. Headache Research Unit, Department of Neurology-CHR Citadelle, University of Liège, Belgium. 9. IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, IS, Italy.
Abnormal structural and functional plasticity in cortical and subcortical brain regions may be an important aspect of migraine pathophysiology. Resting state magnetic resonance imaging allows studying functionally interconnected brain networks. Whether there is a relation between the plasticity of resting state networks and integrity of thalamic microstructure during the migraine cycle is not known. To verify functional connectivity between brain networks at rest and its relationship with thalamic microstructure in migraine without aura (MO) patients during and between attacks.
Methods
Twenty-four patients with untreated MO underwent 3T MRI scans during (n=10) or between attacks (n=14) and were compared to a group of 15 healthy volunteers. We used MRI to collect resting state data among four selected resting state networks, identified using group independent component (IC) analysis. Fractional anisotropy (FA) values of bilateral thalami were retrieved from a previous diffusion tensor imaging study on the same group of subjects and correlated with resting state ICs Z-scores.
Results
We found a significant reduced functional connectivity between the default mode network and the visuo-spatial system between attacks, and between the executive control network and the dorso-ventral attention system during attacks. When HV and migraine groups were combined, ictal and interictal selected ICs Z-scores correlated negatively with bilateral thalami FA values.
Conclusions
The present results are the first evidence supporting the hypothesis that abnormal dynamics of the connectivity between thalamus and functional cerebral networks at rest could contribute to the recurrence of migraine attacks.Written informed consent to publication was obtained from the patient(s).