Objectives Dementia is the most common neurological disease in older adults; headaches, including migraines, are the most common neurological disorder across all ages. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between migraines and dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD). Methods Analyses were based on 679 community‐dwelling participants 65+ years from the Manitoba Study of Health and Aging, a population‐based, prospective cohort study. Participants screened as cognitively intact at baseline had complete data on migraine history and all covariates at baseline and were assessed for cognitive outcomes (all‐cause dementia, AD, and VaD) 5 years later. The association of exposure (lifetime history of migraines), confounding (age, gender, education, and depression), and intervening variables (hypertension, myocardial infarction, other heart conditions, stroke, and diabetes) with all‐cause dementia and dementia subtypes (AD and VaD) was assessed using multiple logistic regression models. Results A history of migraines was significantly associated with both all‐cause dementia (odds ratio [OR]=2.97; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.25‐6.61) and AD (OR=4.22; 95% CI=1.59‐10.42), even after adjustment for confounding and intervening variables. Migraines were not significantly associated with VaD either before (OR=1.83; 95% CI=0.39‐8.52) or after (OR=1.52; 95% CI=0.20‐7.23) such adjustment. Conclusions Migraines were a significant risk factor for AD and all‐cause dementia. Despite the vascular mechanisms involved in migraine physiology, migraines were not significantly associated with VaD in this study. Recognition of the long‐term detrimental consequences of migraines for AD and dementia has implications for migraine management, as well as for our understanding of AD etiology.

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In 1986 all 90 children aged 4-19 years with Down's syndrome attending school in the area served by the Southern Derbyshire Health Authority underwent radiography to identify atlantoaxial instability (AAI). This study details repeat observations five years later. Full results were available on 67 (74%/o), information on health status was available on the remaining 19 (21%); four (4%) were untraced.There was an overall significant reduction in the atlanto-axial gap over five years. No one developed AAI on repeat testing who had not had it earlier. One child who had previously had normal neck radiography developed acute symptomatic AAI after ear, nose, and throat surgery.Radiographs were done on three occasions on the same day in 49 individuals, ensuring full flexion of the upper neck. There were no significant differences between the radiographs, even in five subjects with AAI.

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Three fatal cases of idiopathic arterial calcification in infancy are reported. The infants' ages ranged from 9 days to 3 months. Death was due to cardiac failure; in two cases caused by myocardial ischaemia, and in one by pulmonary hypertension. The histological findings are described and aetiology of the condition is discussed.