Migraine and Depression Together May Mean Smaller Brain

It has long been known that migraine sufferers are more susceptible to experience depressive episodes. A new study has found that old people who suffer from migraines and depression have smaller volumes of brain tissue than those who suffer with either of the conditions or none of them.

The study was led by Larus S. Gudmundsson, PhD, with the National Institute on Aging and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, in Bethesda, Md. 

Gudmundsson, a member of the American Academy of Neurology, said that decades of research has shown that people with migraine have double the risk of depression. Through the study, researchers sought to discover whether having both conditions together affected brain size.

To prove their hypothesis, researchers analyzed 4,296 subjects for migraine headaches from 1967-1991. The people belonged to an average age group of 51. Later, the same group was assessed for a history of major depressive disorder from 2002-2006, at an average age of 76. Apart from this, the participants' brain tissue volumes were estimated with the help of MRI scans. Researchers noticed that 37 participants had a history of both migraine and depression and 2,753 patients had none of the conditions.

"It is important to note that participants in this study were imaged using MRI once, so we cannot say that migraine and depression resulted in brain atrophy. In future studies, we need to examine at what age participants develop both migraine and depression and measure their brain volume changes over time in order to determine what comes first," said Gudmundsson in a press statement.

According to the researchers, some of the aspects that cause a joint effect of both migraine and depression on brain volume include brain inflammation, genetics, pain, and difference in the combination of social and economic factors.

People experiencing both migraine and depression require a different approach for long-term treatment.

The study was published in the journal Neurology.