Hypothalamic subregional perfusion alterations in migraine: a 3D-PCASL study.

Migraine is a widespread neurological disorder involving the hypothalamus. This study explores blood flow changes in specific hypothalamic subregions. Researchers used three-dimensional pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling for this investigation. They analyzed 43 participants with episodic migraine, chronic migraine, and normal controls. The hypothalamus was divided into 10 subregions using FreeSurfer software. No significant differences in volume were found among groups. However, the episodic migraine group had lower blood flow in the left anterior inferior subregion. The chronic migraine group showed lower blood flow in three right-sided subregions. The left anterior inferior subregion's blood flow distinguished migraine patients from controls with an area under the curve of 0.717. Significant correlations were found between blood flow and cognitive function in the episodic migraine group. These findings suggest specific perfusion abnormalities in migraine patients, linking hypothalamic function to migraine symptoms. Clinical relevance: This study identifies specific hypothalamic blood flow changes in migraine patients, which may inform future diagnostic and treatment strategies.