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Abstract #3654

Structural Abnormalities in the Thalamus of Migraine Patients: A Multi-Parametric Study at High Field.

Cristina Granziera1, 2, Alessandro Daducci3, David Romascano2, Alexis Roche2, Gunther Helms4, Gunnar Krueger, 25, Nouchine Hadjikhani6, 7

1Department of clinical neurosciences, CHUV, Lausanne, VD, Switzerland; 2Advanced clinical imaging technology, EPFL, Lausanne, VD, Switzerland; 3ST/IEL/LTS5, EPFL, Lausanne, VD, Switzerland; 4Dept. of Cognitive Neurology, MR-Research in Neurology and Psychiatry, Goettingen, Germany; 5Healthcare Sector IM&WS S, Siemens Schweiz AG,, Renens, VD, Switzerland; 6BMI/SV/GRHAD, EPFL, Lausanne, Vd, Switzerland; 7Radiology, Martinos center, MGH and Harvard medical school, Charlestown, MA, Switzerland


The thalamus is an important relay of pain processing pathways and exerts a pivotal role in cortical excitability control. In this study, we examined the structural characteristics of the thalamus in a group of migraine patients and healthy controls using a multi-parametric approach at high field MRI (3T). We showed that patients suffering from migraine with aura had different micro-structural features in numerous thalamic nuclei compared to migraineurs without aura and non-migraineurs, pointing at iron accumulation in some thalamic nuclei and at increased cellular presence in others. The observed alterations encompassed the somato-sensory, limbic and visual thalamic regions.