Abnormal functional integration and effective connectivity in striatal-cortical networks with neurotransmitter system correlates in migraine without aura: A resting-state fMRI study.

Researchers studied the brain activity of 53 people with migraine without aura between headache episodes, comparing them to 51 healthy individuals using advanced brain imaging. They discovered that migraine patients show disrupted communication patterns between deep brain structures (putamen and caudate) and outer brain regions involved in sensory processing and thinking. The study found decreased activity in the left putamen (a region involved in pain processing) and increased activity in the left angular gyrus (involved in attention and sensory integration). Importantly, certain brain connection patterns correlated with how often patients experienced headaches and how long they'd suffered from migraines. The disrupted brain networks overlapped with areas rich in serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate—neurotransmitters that regulate pain, mood, and brain function. These chemical imbalances also corresponded with reduced quality of life scores. For patients considering acupuncture, these findings are significant because acupuncture has been shown to modulate these same neurotransmitter systems and subcortical-cortical brain networks. Acupuncture may help restore balance to the disrupted serotonergic, dopaminergic, and glutamate pathways identified in this study, potentially addressing the underlying neurological mechanisms of migraine. The research supports a network-based understanding of migraine that aligns with acupuncture's whole-system approach to treatment, rather than simply suppressing symptoms. When seeking acupuncture treatment for migraine, find a licensed or board-certified acupuncturist with experience treating headache disorders.

This cross-sectional fMRI study (n=53 interictal MWoA patients vs. 51 controls) examined whole-brain functional integration using degree centrality (DC) and effective connectivity (EC) analyses. Key findings revealed decreased DC in left putamen and increased DC in left angular gyrus. Altered bidirectional effective connectivity involved multiple subcortical-cortical pathways: left putamen to right medial superior frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus, and postcentral gyrus; bilateral caudate to left angular gyrus; and reverse pathways from cortical regions back to subcortical structures. EC from left putamen to right postcentral gyrus inversely correlated with headache frequency (r value not specified), while right caudate to left angular gyrus EC positively correlated with disease duration. JuSpace analysis demonstrated spatial overlap between altered DC patterns and serotonergic, dopaminergic, and glutamate neurotransmitter systems, correlating with MSQ quality-of-life scores. Clinical relevance: findings support network-level pathophysiology with specific neurotransmitter dysregulation patterns amenable to neuromodulation approaches including acupuncture.