Cerebrovascular Function in Migraine Patients during, their Interictal Period, Compared to Normal Healthy Controls

Background: Migraine is a debilitating neurovascular disorder which primarily impacts the working age population. The aim of the study was to determine if transient hemodynamic alterations during each migraine attack translates into cerebrovascular alterations, during migraineurs interictal period. A secondary hypothesis was to determine if there was any relationship between vascular hemodynamics and either the severity or frequency of migraine attacks.Methods: We recruited 29 volunteers: 13 migraineurs (mean age 28±8.8 years; 12 female and 1 male) and 16 age-matched controls (mean age 26.6±6.9; 9 female and 7 male). Volunteers were classified as migraine sufferer or not (control group). All individuals underwent a detailed ophthalmic examination by a qualified optometrist and a Migraine Disability Assessment. Cerebral blood velocity measurements for the Middle Cerebral Artery (MCA) and Vertebral Artery (VA) were obtained using Colour Doppler Imaging using the Hitachi Aloka Noblus ultrasound system. The investigators were blind to the migraine diagnosis.Results: During their interictal period migraineurs appear to have no significant difference in any hemodynamic parameter, for either their MCA and VA, when compared to normal healthy controls. Neither was a significant relationship between Migraine Disability Assessment Scores and any vascular parameter reported.Conclusion: This study found nil cerebrovascular alterations which could be measured in migraineurs compared to normal healthy controls, during their interictal period.