Research Information System
Global Migraine and Pain Society (GMPS) & 9th Middle East and North Africa (MENA) meeting,5th Turkish African Meeting of Headache and Pain Management, İstanbul, Turkey, 1 - 03 November 2024, vol.26, pp.3-4, (Summary Text)
Emerging evidence from symptomatology, neuroimaging studies, animal models, and clinical observations suggests a role for the cerebellum in the pathophysiology of migraine. Functional neuroimaging has shown that painful stimulation can activate the vermis. However, no studies have yet examined the detailed parcellation of cerebellar hemispheres and vermis by their lobules in migraine patients.
Objective
This study aimed to compare the volumes of the total cerebellum, total vermis, and specific cerebellar and vermian lobules between female patients with migraine and healthy controls.
Methods
We conducted a volumetric analysis of the cerebellum and vermis using Individual Brain Atlases in Statistical Parametric Mapping and the CERES program on VolBrain. The study included 37 right-handed female migraine patients and 17 right-handed healthy female volunteers. We obtained volumes for the total cerebellum, cerebellar lobules, cerebellar gray and white matter, and segmented vermian lobules.
Results
Migraine patients had significantly smaller volumes of the total vermis, as well as vermian lobules I & II, III, and IX compared to controls (p<0.05). Disease duration was negatively correlated with the volumes of several cerebellar lobules, total vermis, anterior and posterior vermis, and vermian lobules III, VI, and IX. Positive correlations were observed between the number of migraine attacks and the volumes of Crus II and cerebellar lobule VIIIA. Additionally, the left cerebellar lobule III was significantly smaller in patients with migraine with aura compared to controls (p<0.05).
Conclusion
This study highlights the importance of the cerebellar vermis in the pathophysiology of migraine. The observed volumetric reductions in specific cerebellar and vermian lobules suggest that these regions deserve further attention in understanding the neurological basis of migraine.