Application Of Event Related Potentials In The Research Of The Pathogenesis Of Migraine And Cluster Headache

Background: Migraine and cluster headaches (CH) are two types of primaryheadache. Previous researches considered that both of them belonged to the vascularheadache. Some researches found there were some similarities in the pathogenesis ofthe disease, but the others found that they had different characteristics. Many researchesfound the disorders in psycho-behaviors and cognitive activities of migraine and CH, soif we can evaluate the disorders of congnitive functions of the two types objectively, wewill get assessments of the functions and structures of interrelated cortex.Electroencephalogram event-related potential (ERP) is a kind of technology that canmake an objective evaluation of cognitive process and mental activities, so we used theERPs in our research.Methods: The programs of Oddball-form stimulation was edited by the E-primesoftware. Stimulation containing A, V, VA, V50A, A50V, V100A and A100V. Theaccuracy and response time to special stimulation of28patients with migraine with aura,20patients with migraine without aura and28healthy volunteers were recorded, and the64channels electroencephalogram were continuously recorded too at the same time.First, the accuracy and response time were statistical analysed. Then, the EEG datasoff-line were analyzed by ASA software (www.ant-neuro.com). The EEG datas weresegmented into the epochs, and the EEG segments contaminated were excluded fromaveraging. Last, the EEG segments were averaged and statistical analysed separately fortarget and standard stimuli.Results: the relavent findings of migraine:1) there was disorder in the earlyinformation processing of migraine. The amplitude of N1in normal control group was the highest, followed by migraine without aura (MoA) group, migraine with aura (MA)group N1was the lowest.2) In auditory stimuli conditions, the amplitude of N2/N2d inMoA group was the lowest, followed by MA group.3) In visual stimuli conditions, theamplitude of N2/N2d in MA group was the lowest, followed by MoA group.4) Inaudio-visual interval stimuli conditions, the amplitude of P3during400ms to500mswas increased greatly in MA group with the increasing stimulus interval, followed byMoA group.5) The amplitude of N2/N2d was higher in audio-visual stimuli conditionsthan that of in visual and auditory stimuli conditions.The relavent findings of CH:1) In visual stimuli conditions, there was an obviousdorminant in right frontal region in normal group, not in CH group.2) In visual stimuliconditions, the amplitude of P3/P3d was lower in CH group than that in normal group.3)There was no difference between the CH and normal group in audio-visual intervalstimuli conditions.The relavent findings of male headache patients:1) In visual stimuli conditions,the latency of N2was shorter and the amplitude of P3was lower in male migrainegroup than that in male CH group and male normal group.2) In audio-visual stimuliconditions, the amplitude of P3was higher than that in male CH group and male normalgroup.Conclusion:1) The early recognition and monitor ability to stimulus informationsin migraine was weakened, but the audio-visual integration ability was enhanced, andthere were obvious differences between MA and MoA group in these abilities.2) TheCH patients were different to the normal controls in the early stages of visual processing.3) There were hypersensitization and enhancement of the headache relavent corticalfunctions in male migraine patients.4) There were differences between the male CHand migraine patients in the visual information transmission, and then we can concludethat although the central mechanism was dominant in the pathogenesis of them, theymight still have some differences.