Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • In Brief
  • Published:

MIGRAINE

Hypothalamus loses control in migraine

Nature Reviews Neurology volume 17, page 595 (2021)Cite this article

Subjects

Reduced hypothalamic control of the limbic system could be a cause of migraine attacks, according to new imaging research. Functional MRI was used to longitudinally assess hypothalamic connectivity and cortical perfusion during migraine cycles in 12 patients with episodic migraine. During the headache phase of migraine attacks, perfusion of the limbic system was high and hypothalamic connectivity to the limbic system was reduced relative to the interictal period. The research supports the idea that the hypothalamus is central to migraine pathophysiology and suggests that control of limbic circuits could be a novel therapeutic approach.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

Original article

  • Stankewitz, A. et al. Migraine attacks as a result of hypothalamic loss of control. Neuroimage Clin. 32, 102784 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nature Reviews Neurology http://www.nature.com/nrneurol/

    Ian Fyfe

Authors
  1. Ian Fyfe
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ian Fyfe.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Fyfe, I. Hypothalamus loses control in migraine. Nat Rev Neurol 17, 595 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-021-00563-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Version of record:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-021-00563-z

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing