Executive functions in migraineurs

Objective: To investigate whether there is an impairment in executive functions, which are among the frontal lobe functions, in interictal periods of migraine patients and hence to determine whether there is a neuropyschological pathology in the frontal lobe. Methods: Fifty-seven patients who presented to our neurology outpatient clinic and were diagnosed with migraine and 57 healthy controls were included in this prospective study. Neuropsychological tests evaluating executive functions were administered to migraine patients in the interictal period, and the results were compared among the migraine patients themselves and between the migraine and control groups. Results: Cases with migraine completed the Stroop test in significantly longer times and with more mistakes than controls. They could produce a lower number of words starting with the letters K, A, and S. The control group explained and interpreted proverbs better than did the migraine group. There was a significant difference between cases who had migraine for five or fewer years and those who had migraine for six years or more in terms of mini mental test scores, Stroop 5 duration, Stroop 5 mistake scores, and categorical fluency scores, while there was no difference in terms of other tests. Conclusion: Migraine is a disease that causes impairment in executive functions and skill of programming behavior and leads to impairment in the frontal regions of the brain. Therefore, treatment aiming to prevent migraine attacks may contribute significantly to the protection of the brain and its functions.