Regular Practice of Autogenic Training Reduces Migraine Frequency and Is Associated With Brain Activity Changes in Response to Fearful Visual Stimuli

Dobos, Dóra; Szabó, Emese; Baksa, Dániel; Gecse, Kinga; Kocsel, Natália; Pap, Dorottya; Zsombók, Terézia; Kozák, Lajos R.; Kökönyei, Gyöngyi; Juhász, Gabriella

doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2021.780081

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Functional changes in brain areas implicated in the emotional and cognitive aspects of pain have also been demonstrated in 11 adult migraine patients treated for 16 weeks with autogenic training, a behavioural approach that includes desensitization-relaxation techniques [ 79 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Imaging the brain and vascular reactions to headache treatments: a systematic review

et al. 2023

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Background Neuroimaging studies have made an important contribution to our understanding of headache pathophysiology. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive overview and critical appraisal of mechanisms of actions of headache treatments and potential biomarkers of treatment response disclosed by imaging studies. Main body We performed a systematic literature search on PubMed and Embase databases for imaging studies investigating central and vascular effects of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments used to abort and prevent headache attacks. Sixty-three studies were included in the final qualitative analysis. Of these, 54 investigated migraine patients, 4 cluster headache patients and 5 patients with medication overuse headache. Most studies used functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (n = 33) or molecular imaging (n = 14). Eleven studies employed structural MRI and a few used arterial spin labeling (n = 3), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (n = 3) or magnetic resonance angiography (n = 2). Different imaging modalities were combined in eight studies. Despite of the variety of imaging approaches and results, some findings were consistent. This systematic review suggests that triptans may cross the blood–brain barrier to some extent, though perhaps not sufficiently to alter the intracranial cerebral blood flow. Acupuncture in migraine, neuromodulation in migraine and cluster headache patients, and medication withdrawal in patients with medication overuse headache could promote headache improvement by reverting headache-affected pain processing brain areas. Yet, there is currently no clear evidence for where each treatment acts, and no firm imaging predictors of efficacy. This is mainly due to a scarcity of studies and heterogeneous treatment schemes, study designs, subjects, and imaging techniques. In addition, most studies used small sample sizes and inadequate statistical approaches, which precludes generalizable conclusions. Conclusion Several aspects of headache treatments remain to be elucidated using imaging approaches, such as how pharmacological preventive therapies work, whether treatment-related brain changes may influence therapy effectiveness, and imaging biomarkers of clinical response. In the future, well-designed studies with homogeneous study populations, adequate sample sizes and statistical approaches are needed.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Imaging the brain and vascular reactions to headache treatments: a systematic review

et al. 2023

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“…Behavioral data (accuracy and reaction time) were registered. Previously, the task was thoroughly described and successfully used by our research group ( Thomas et al, 2011 ; Arnone et al, 2012 ; Szabó et al, 2017 , 2019 ; Dobos et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Circadian Variation of Migraine Attack Onset Affects fMRI Brain Response to Fearful Faces

Baksa

Szabó

Kocsel

et al. 2022

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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BackgroundPrevious studies suggested a circadian variation of migraine attack onset, although, with contradictory results – possibly because of the existence of migraine subgroups with different circadian attack onset peaks. Migraine is primarily a brain disorder, and if the diversity in daily distribution of migraine attack onset reflects an important aspect of migraine, it may also associate with interictal brain activity. Our goal was to assess brain activity differences in episodic migraine subgroups who were classified according to their typical circadian peak of attack onset.MethodsTwo fMRI studies were conducted with migraine without aura patients (n = 31 in Study 1, n = 48 in Study 2). Among them, three subgroups emerged with typical Morning, Evening, and Varying start of attack onset. Whole brain activity was compared between the groups in an implicit emotional processing fMRI task, comparing fearful, sad, and happy facial stimuli to neutral ones.ResultsIn both studies, significantly increased neural activation was detected to fearful (but not sad or happy) faces. In Study 1, the Evening start group showed increased activation compared to the Morning start group in regions involved in emotional, self-referential (left posterior cingulate gyrus, right precuneus), pain (including left middle cingulate, left postcentral, left supramarginal gyri, right Rolandic operculum) and sensory (including bilateral superior temporal gyrus, right Heschl’s gyrus) processing. While in Study 2, the Morning start group showed increased activation compared to the Varying start group at a nominally significant level in regions with pain (right precentral gyrus, right supplementary motor area) and sensory processing (bilateral paracentral lobule) functions.ConclusionOur fMRI studies suggest that different circadian attack onset peaks are associated with interictal brain activity differences indicating heterogeneity within migraine patients and alterations in sensitivity to threatening fearful stimuli. Circadian variation of migraine attack onset may be an important characteristic to address in future studies and migraine prophylaxis.

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“…Autogenic training has been studied in various chronic pain conditions and there is sufficient evidence to support its effectiveness in improving quality of life for many patients [86,87]. Regular practice of AT for headache has been shown to reduce the frequency of migraines with an observed effect on brain areas associated with aversive emotional processing, emotional stress processing and pain perception [88].…”

Section: Autogenic Trainingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-Pharmacological Treatment of Primary Headaches—A Focused Review

Licina,

Radojicic,

Jeremic

et al. 2023

Brain Sciences

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Headache disorders are a significant global health burden, leading to reduced quality of life. While vast pharmacological treatments are available, they may be associated with adverse effects or inadequate efficacy for some patients, therefore there is a need for exploring alternate treatment strategies. This review gives a brief explanation and evaluation of some established and emerging non-pharmacological approaches for headache management, focusing on nutraceuticals and diet, acupuncture, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), biofeedback, relaxation techniques, autogenic training, and neuromodulation. Special consideration is given to psychological interventions as they increase patient self-efficacy and provide strategies for managing chronic pain. Future research should focus on optimizing these therapies, identifying patient-specific factors influencing their effectiveness, and integrating them into holistic headache management strategies.

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Regular Practice of Autogenic Training Reduces Migraine Frequency and Is Associated With Brain Activity Changes in Response to Fearful Visual Stimuli

Cited by 6 publications

References 69 publications

Imaging the brain and vascular reactions to headache treatments: a systematic review

Imaging the brain and vascular reactions to headache treatments: a systematic review

Circadian Variation of Migraine Attack Onset Affects fMRI Brain Response to Fearful Faces

Non-Pharmacological Treatment of Primary Headaches—A Focused Review

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