Lateral inhibition in the somatosensory cortex during and between migraine without aura attacks: Correlations with thalamocortical activity and clinical features

Coppola, Gianluca; Bracaglia, M.; Lenola, Davide Di; Iacovelli, Elisa; Lorenzo, Cherubino Di; Serrao, Mariano; Evangelista, Maurizio; Parisi, Vincenzo; Schoenen, Jean; Pierelli, Francesco

doi:10.1177/0333102415610873

Cited by 60 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…This findings is consistent with previous evidence obtained with psychophysiological tests [24], neuroimaging techniques [25, 26], and cortical EPs [4–6] showing that during the variable pain-free period between two migraine attacks, the brain of an individual with migraine is exposed to subtle cyclic functional changes. Indeed, at the cortical level, we previously observed that patients with MO and a subgroup of patients with migraine with visual aura associated with paraesthesia and/or dysphasia exhibited a strong decrease in EP amplitude habituation during the stereotyped presentation of visual stimuli with the passing of time from the last attack [4, 5].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Consistent with the abovementioned changes in EP according to the time elapsed from the last attack [4, 6], we hypothesised that motor cortex excitability would also become increasingly abnormal in patients with migraine as the time from the last migraine attack increased.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 75%

“…We recently found that in migraineurs, the degree of EP abnormalities fluctuates over time, particularly in relation to the occurrence of migraine attacks (i.e. the degree of abnormalities is higher at long time intervals after an attack while it is minimal and within the normal range during an attack) [4–6]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Excitability of the motor cortex in patients with migraine changes with the time elapsed from the last attack

et al. 2017

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BackgroundMotor-evoked potentials (MEPs) produced by single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the motor cortex can be an objective measure of cortical excitability. Previously, MEP thresholds were found to be normal, increased, or even reduced in patients with migraine. In the present study, we determined whether the level of cortical excitability changes with the time interval from the last migraine attack, thereby accounting for the inconsistencies in previous reports.MethodsTwenty-six patients with untreated migraine without aura (MO) underwent a MEP study between attacks. Their data were then compared to the MEP data collected from a group of 24 healthy volunteers (HVs). During the experiment, the TMS figure-of-eight coil was positioned over the left motor area. After identifying the resting motor threshold (RMT), we delivered 10 single TMS pulses (rate: 0.1 Hz, intensity: 120% of the RMT) and averaged the resulting MEP amplitudes.ResultsThe mean RMTs and MEP amplitudes were not significantly different between the MO and HV groups. In patients with MO, the RMTs were negatively correlated with the number of days elapsed since the last migraine attack (rho = -0.404, p = 0.04).ConclusionOur results suggest that the threshold for evoking MEPs is influenced by the proximity of an attack; specifically, the threshold is lower when a long time interval has passed after an attack, and is higher (within the range of normative values) when measured close to an attack. These dynamic RMT variations resemble those we reported previously for visual and somatosensory evoked potentials and may represent time-dependent plastic changes in brain excitability in relation to the migraine cycle.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 75%

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Excitability of the motor cortex in patients with migraine changes with the time elapsed from the last attack

et al. 2017

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“…The thalamus was found to be implicated in many clinical [58–61] and neurophysiological features of migraine [62–64]. From animal experiments, it is known that the vast system of extrastriate and suprasylvian areas comprising the brain’s most important networks receive extensive projections from the lateral posterior-pulvinar thalamic complex, including the intralaminar nuclei [65, 66], that were recently reported to be reduced in volume in migraine patients scanned when attack-free [10].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thalamo-cortical network activity between migraine attacks: Insights from MRI-based microstructural and functional resting-state network correlation analysis

et al. 2016

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BackgroundResting state magnetic resonance imaging allows studying functionally interconnected brain networks. Here we were aimed to verify functional connectivity between brain networks at rest and its relationship with thalamic microstructure in migraine without aura (MO) patients between attacks.MethodsEighteen patients with untreated MO underwent 3 T MRI scans and were compared to a group of 19 healthy volunteers (HV). We used MRI to collect resting state data among two selected resting state networks, identified using group independent component (IC) analysis. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) values of bilateral thalami were retrieved from a previous diffusion tensor imaging study on the same subjects and correlated with resting state ICs Z-scores.ResultsIn comparison to HV, in MO we found significant reduced functional connectivity between the default mode network and the visuo-spatial system. Both HV and migraine patients selected ICs Z-scores correlated negatively with FA values of the thalamus bilaterally.ConclusionsThe present results are the first evidence supporting the hypothesis that an abnormal resting within networks connectivity associated with significant differences in baseline thalamic microstructure could contribute to interictal migraine pathophysiology.

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“…Such a hypofunction may contribute to hyper-responsivity to external stimuli (Coppola et al , 2007), thus rendering the cortex more sensitive to external stimuli, and less capable of adapting to homeostatic changes. This may predispose to a migraine attack (Coppola et al , 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-invasive cortical modulation of experimental pain in migraine

Uglem

Omland

Engstrøm

et al. 2016

Clinical Neurophysiology

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Lateral inhibition in the somatosensory cortex during and between migraine without aura attacks: Correlations with thalamocortical activity and clinical features

Abstract: We hypothesize that abnormal migraine cycle-dependent dynamics of connectivity between subcortical and cortical excitation/inhibition networks may contribute to clinical features of MO and recurrence of attacks.

Cited by 60 publications

References 35 publications

Excitability of the motor cortex in patients with migraine changes with the time elapsed from the last attack

Excitability of the motor cortex in patients with migraine changes with the time elapsed from the last attack

Thalamo-cortical network activity between migraine attacks: Insights from MRI-based microstructural and functional resting-state network correlation analysis

Non-invasive cortical modulation of experimental pain in migraine

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