Volume of the hypothalamus and its subunits in patients with episodic migraine without aura during interictal periods

Background The hypothalamus is thought to play a crucial role in the recurrence of migraine attacks, exhibiting activity prior to the onset of a migraine attack. Nonetheless, our comprehension of the roles of its subunits, especially during the interictal phase, remains limited. This study investigated hypothalamic volumetric differences between individuals with episodic migraine and healthy controls, with scans conducted during the interictal phase, free from the effects of preventative medications. Methods We analyzed hypothalamic volumes in 30 patients with episodic migraine without aura (MO), scanned during interictal periods and not on preventative medication, and in 30 healthy controls (HCs) matched for age and sex. Volumetric segmentation was performed of both hypothalamic subunits (anterior-inferior, anterior-superior, posterior, tubular inferior, and tubular superior) and the entire hypothalamus using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with T1-weighted sequences. General linear models were employed to evaluate volumetric differences after controlling for age, sex, and total brain volume. Results The volumes of hypothalamic subunits and overall hypothalamus volumes exhibited no statistically significant differences between HCs and MO patients (p > 0.05). No associations were found between the clinical characteristics of MO and the total hypothalamic volume or its subunits. Discussion Our findings indicate that volumetric alterations in the hypothalamus and its subunits do not contribute to the interictal susceptibility to recurrent migraine attacks.