Periaqueductal gray matter echogenicity as a marker of migraine chronification

Migraine is one of the most prevalent and disabling medical diseases in the world. The periaqueductal gray matter and the red nucleus play an important role in its pathogenesis. Our aim was to evaluate the echogenicity of the periaqueductal gray matter and the red nucleus in patients with migraine,...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Vilas Rolán, Dolores|||0000-0003-3084-053X, Rubio, Sara, Gea, Mireia, Ríos, José|||0000-0002-0716-8784, Ispierto, Lourdes, Hernández-Pérez, María|||0000-0001-8279-7954, Paré-Curell, Martí|||0000-0002-0627-5350, Millán, Mònica|||0000-0002-4692-5936, Dorado Bouix, Laura|||0000-0003-1095-6797
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:281328
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/281328
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1186/s10194-023-01576-3
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Chronic migraine
Echogenicity
Migraine
Periaqueductal gray matter
Transcranial sonography
Descripción
Sumario:Migraine is one of the most prevalent and disabling medical diseases in the world. The periaqueductal gray matter and the red nucleus play an important role in its pathogenesis. Our aim was to evaluate the echogenicity of the periaqueductal gray matter and the red nucleus in patients with migraine, by means of transcranial ultrasound. In this cross-sectional study, a group of patients with migraine (according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders) and a group of control subjects with comparable age-and-sex distribution were prospectively included. We evaluated the area and echogenicity of the periaqueductal gray matter and the red nucleus by means of transcranial ultrasound, both bedside and posteriorly analyzed with the medical image viewer Horos. We included 115 subjects: 65 patients with migraine (39 of them with chronic migraine and 26 with episodic migraine), and 50 controls. Median disease duration in patients with chronic migraine was 29 (IQR: 19; 40) years, with a median of 18 (IQR: 14; 27) days of migraine per month. The area of the periaqueductal gray matter was larger in patients with chronic migraine compared to episodic migraine and controls (0.15[95%CI 0.12;0.22]cm 2 ; 0.11[95%CI 0.10;0.14]cm 2 and 0.12[95%CI 0.09;0.15]cm 2, respectively; p = 0.043). Chronic migraine patients showed an intensity of the periaqueductal gray matter echogenicity lower than controls (90.57[95%CI 70.87;117.26] vs 109.56[95%CI 83.30;122.64]; p = 0.035). The coefficient of variation of periaqueductal gray matter echogenicity was the highest in chronic migraine patients (p = 0.009). No differences were observed regarding the area or intensity of red nucleus echogenicity among groups. Patients with chronic migraine showed a larger area of echogenicity of periaqueductal gray matter, a lower intensity of its echogenicity and a higher heterogenicity within this brainstem structure compared to patients with episodic migraine and controls. The echogenicity of the periaqueductal gray matter should be further investigated as a biomarker of migraine chronification. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s10194-023-01576-3.