Altered Functional Connectivity in the Pain Modulatory System of Migraineurs

Caterina Mainero¹, Nils Rettby¹, Thomas Benner¹, Nouchine Hadjikhani^1,2

Recent studies have shown persistent anatomical changes in the brain white and gray matter of migraineurs, located in regions involved in pain processing/modulation including the somatosensory cortex, thalamus, and periaqueductal gray matter (PAG). We used functional connectivity during rest in migraineurs and controls to test whether the reported anatomical changes are associated with functional changes. Our preliminary results show that functional connectivity is stronger within the pain modulatory system in migraineurs than in controls. It is still unknown whether this reflects a migraine-specific process or relates to non-specific chronic pain conditions.