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Literature highlights
Will migraine make me lose my memory?
Frequent headache sufferers are often worried that recurring pain might induce permanent damage to an individual's brain and higher mental functions over time. A group of Danish researchers carried out an interesting survey among twins in the general population to investigate differences, if any, in cognitive functions (i.e. higher mental functions in humans, such as speech, memory, planning ability, etc.) between patients with and without migraine. The twins in the study sample were recruited from those listed in a national registry and screened for migraine through personal interviews. In addition, each participant in the study underwent a battery of tests to assess specific features related to speech, reality interpretation skills, and memory. A total of 1,393 (77.8%) twins out of the 1,789 listed in the registry were interviewed. Of these, 536 were found to have migraine (347 with migraine without aura and 157 with migraine with aura). Test results were comparable in twins with migraine and in unaffected twins. The authors therefore concluded that migraine has no effect on cognitive function.
Long-term effects of migraine on cognitive function: a population-based study of Danish twins.
Gaist D, Pedersen L, Madsen C, Tsiropoulos I, Bak S, Sindrup S, McGue M, Rasmussen BK, Christensen K.
Neurology 2005;64:600-7
This page last modified: 27/03/2006