Attention orienting dysfunction with preserved automatic auditory change detection in migraine

•The mismatch negativity (MMN) is normal in migraine patients.•The N1 orienting component and the N2b are increased in migraine patients.•Auditory processes up to attention triggering are preserved in migraine patients.•Attention orienting to sound income and sound deviance are exacerbated in migraine.•These observations suggest abnormal activation of attention-related frontal networks.

ObjectiveTo investigate automatic event-related potentials (ERPs) to an auditory change in migraine patients.MethodsAuditory ERPs were recorded in 22 female patients suffering from menstrually-related migraine and in 20 age-matched control subjects, in three sessions: in the middle of the menstrual cycle, before and during menses. In each session, 200 trains of tone-bursts each including two duration deviants were presented in a passive listening condition.ResultsIn all sessions, duration deviance elicited a mismatch negativity (MMN) showing no difference between the two groups. However, migraine patients showed an increased N1 orienting component to all incoming stimuli and a prolonged N2b to deviance. They also presented a different modulation of P3a amplitude along the menstrual cycle, which tended to normalise during migraine attacks. None of the studied ERP components showed a default of habituation.ConclusionsThis passive paradigm highlighted increased automatic attention orienting to auditory changes but normal auditory sensory processing in migraineurs.SignificanceOur observations suggest normal auditory processing up to attention triggering but enhanced activation of attention-related frontal networks in migraineurs.