Role of High Frequency Oscillations of Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Deciphering Pathophysiology of Migraine

Background Habituation deficit is considered as a neurophysiological abnormality among migraineurs in the interictal period. For clear comprehension and clarity about the mechanism underlying habituation in migraine, a sophisticated method, i. e., high frequency oscillations (HFOs) evoked potentials, have been utilized. However, studies pertaining to this in the Indian context are rare. Objective The aim of the study is to determine the utility of HFO of somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) in deciphering the pathophysiology of migraine. Materials and Methods Sixty subjects including 30 migraineurs in the interictal period and 30 healthy controls were considered for the study. Median nerve SSEP was recorded in patients and controls by standard protocols. HFO was extracted offline using the Digital zero-phase shift band-pass filtering at 450 and 750 Hz. The early and late HFOs were determined with respect to the N20 peak and were compared between the groups. Results Of total 30 migraineurs, 18 had hemicranial headache and 12 had holocranial headache. N20 latency, P25 latency, N20 onset to peak amplitude, and N20 onset to P25 amplitude were comparable in migraineurs and controls. The intraburst frequency of early HFOs in migraineurs was significantly higher (p = 0.04), whereas the peak-to-peak amplitude was significantly lower (p = 0.001). Conclusion Early HFOs on SSEP represent the thalamocortical excitatory drive in migraineurs. Overall, the study reports that reduced amplitude of early HFOs in the interictal period suggest reduced thalamocortical drive in migraineurs.