Translated abstract:
A dysbalance of the cerebrovascular response during functional activation of the brain has been postulated as a factor in the pathophysiology of migraine. To determine the dynamic pattern of the cerebrovascular response in migraineurs compared to a control group changes of the cerebral perfusion during visual cortical activation were studied with high temporal resolution by functional transcranial Doppler Sonography. The cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) in the right posterior cerebral artery (PCA) and the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) was measured simultaneously during visual stimulation in 19 interictal migraineurs and in 19 age and sex matched control subjects. In the MCA migraineurs exhibited a steady increase of CBFV during the stimulation, while in normal subjects a habituation of the CBFV response could be observed. In the PCA migraineurs compared to normal subjects showed significant (p < 0.05) stronger CBFV changes at the beginning and after the end of stimulation with a slower decline to baseline. The lack of habituation in migraineurs was significantly (p < 0.05) more pronounced across patients with a high attack frequency compared to migraineurs with a low attack frequency.