Cognitive functioning in adolescents with migraine

Although migraine is highly prevalent in children and teenagers, it often goes undetected in these patients, resulting in underdiagnosis and inadequate treatment. Several studies have investigated cognitive changes in adults with migraine. However, there are few studies focusing on children and adolescents. Objective : To investigate cognitive performance of adolescents with migraine. Methods : Twenty-eight adolescents diagnosed with migraine and twenty-six individuals without a history of headache were recruited for the study. All participants were evaluated using standardized neuropsychological tests. Results : Adolescents with migraine had worse performance on tests evaluating short- and long-term verbal memory, attention, executive function, and speed of processing information than controls. Conclusion : Cognitive dysfunction is common in adolescents with migraine. Since the cognitive deficits found in adolescents with migraine are similar to those reported in adults with migraine, cognitive impairment seems to persist throughout life.

偏头痛（Migraine）虽高度流行于儿童与青少年群体中，却常在这类患者中被漏诊，进而导致诊断不足与治疗不充分。
既往已有多项研究探讨了偏头痛成年患者的认知改变，但针对儿童与青少年群体的相关研究却寥寥无几。
研究目的：探讨偏头痛青少年患者的认知表现。
研究方法：本研究共招募28名确诊偏头痛的青少年，以及26名无头痛病史的对照个体；所有受试者均接受标准化神经心理学测试评估。
研究结果：相较于对照组，偏头痛青少年在评估短期与长期语言记忆、注意力、执行功能以及信息处理速度的测试中表现更差。
研究结论：偏头痛青少年群体普遍存在认知功能障碍。鉴于本研究中偏头痛青少年的认知缺损模式与既往报道的偏头痛成年患者一致，提示认知损伤可能会伴随终身。