Adults with Migraine Have Atypical Correlations between Brain Cortical Thickness and Pain Thresholds (PL1.001)

Abstract

Objective: To compare cortical thickness-to-pain threshold correlations in adults with migraine to those of healthy control subjects. Background: Recent studies have identified correlations between brain structure and pain sensation in healthy adults. People with migraine are hypersensitive and hypervigilant to painful stimuli and have atypical brain processing of pain. This study tested the hypothesis that people with migraine would have aberrant relationships between the cortical thickness of regions that participate in pain processing with pain thresholds. Methods: Pain thresholds to cutaneously applied heat were determined for 31 adults with migraine and 32 healthy controls. Cortical thickness was estimated from magnetic resonance imaging T1-weighted sequences. Regional cortical thickness-to-pain threshold correlations were determined for subjects with migraine and controls separately using a general linear model whole brain vertex-wise analysis. A pain threshold-by-group interaction analysis was then conducted to estimate regions where the subjects with migraine have alterations in pain threshold-to-cortical thickness correlations relative to healthy controls. Results: Control subjects had negative correlations (p<0.01) between pain thresholds and cortical thickness in left superior temporal/inferior parietal, left inferior temporal, left posterior cingulate/precuneus, right superior temporal, and right inferior parietal regions. Migraine subjects had positive correlations (p<0.01) between pain thresholds and cortical thickness in left superior temporal/inferior parietal, left inferior parietal, right precuneus, and right superior temporal/inferior parietal regions. Cortical thickness-to-pain threshold correlations differed between migraine and control groups for a left superior temporal/inferior parietal region (p<0.01 Monte Carlo corrected). Conclusions: Adults with migraine have abnormal correlations between the cortical thickness of a left superior temporal/inferior parietal region with pain thresholds. Since this region participates in orienting and attention to painful stimuli, absence of the normal correlation might represent an inability for people with migraine to inhibit pain sensation via shifting attention away from the pain. Study Funding: NIH K23NS070891

Disclosure: Dr. Schwedt has received personal compensation for activities with Allergan, Inc. and Supernus Pharmaceuticals as an advisory board member. Dr. Chong has nothing to disclose.