Negative Emotional Stimuli In Interictal Migraine: A Gamma-oscillation Magnetoencephalography Study

Objective To investigate the brain oscillatory response of gamma frequency band to negative emotional stimuli in interictal migraine.Methods Thirty migraineurs between attacks and 30 age-and gender-matched controls were recruited in this study.Headache related parameters(include disease duration,frequency,duration of headache attack,headache severity degree,migraine-related disability and headache impact degree)and Hamilton anxiety scale(HAMA)and Hamilton depression scale(HAMD)in patients with migraine were evaluated.The signatures of neuromagnetic activity evoked by positive,neuter and negative facial expressions pictures stimuli were recorded by using magnetoencephalography(MEG).The alteration of waveform and averaged spectral power,and the location of the brain activities were analyzed via MEG Processor software.Result MEG waveforms analyses showed that all participates had the first two constant neuromagnetic components evoked by the presentation of emotional facial stimuli namely the M100(80-100ms)and M170(100-140ms),the peak amplitudes of M170 component in the range of low gamma oscillations(30-60Hz)were significantly diminished in migraine subjects as compared to controls for the presentation of fear facial pictures but not for happy and neutral pictures(p<0.05).Analyses of spectral power showed that compared with controls,the averaged spectral power of global fields in both low and high gamma oscillatory responses to negative emotional stimuli during M100 time window in interictal migraine were significantly decreased(t=-2.319 and-2.610,P=0.024 and 0.012),and during M170 time window,the averaged spectral power of global fields in low and high gamma frequency to negative emotional stimuli was also lower in interictal migraine(t=-2.233 and-2.299,P=0.029 and 0.025).MEG sources analyses showed that compared to controls,migraine subjects had higher odds of activation in the amygdala(x2= 5.175,P = 0.023),but migraineurs exhibited diminished prefrontal cortex activation during the presentation of negative facial pictures(x2= 5.065,P = 0.024).Correlation analyses showed that the averaged spectral power of low gamma band and high gamma band in M100 time windows for negative emotional pictures stimuli in migraineurs had significant negative correlation with HAM-D rating(r=-0.480 and-0.407,P=0.007 and 0.025),and the averaged spectral power in the ranges of low gamma band and high gamma band in M170 time windows in migraineurs had significant negative correlation with HAM-D rating(r=-0.593 and-0.398,P=0.001 and 0.029).Conclusion The patients with interictal migraine have brain dysfunction in the processing of negative emotional stimuli,and comorbidity with depression may influence this processing.