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Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome ( CVS) has been linked to episodic migraine, yet little is known about the precise brain-based mechanisms underpinning CVS, and whether these associated conditions share similar pathophysiology. We investigated the functional integrity of salience ( SLN) and sensorimotor ( SMN) intrinsic connectivity networks in CVS, migraine and healthy controls using brain functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. CVS, relative to both migraine and controls, showed increased SLN connectivity to middle/posterior insula, a key brain region for nausea and viscerosensory processing. In contrast, this same region showed diminished SMN connectivity in both CVS and migraine. These results highlight both unique and potentially shared pathophysiology between these conditions, and suggest a potential target for therapeutics in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The involvement of cortical inflammation in migraine, particularly migraine with aura, has been a subject of considerable interest, but has proved challenging to demonstrate. We aimed to detect and characterize signs of cortical inflammation in adults with migraine using a novel, multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique., Methods: We used T2 mapping to measure water content/cellularity, T1 mapping to measure tissue microstructure integrity, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) mapping to measure intra- or extracellular edema. We compared these values between participants with migraine (with and without aura) and healthy controls using general linear models adjusted for age and sex., Result: Two hundred ninety-six adult participants with migraine and 155 age- and sex-matched healthy controls provided eligible imaging data. Among the participants with migraine, 103 had migraine with aura, 180 chronic migraine, and 88 were ictal during the scan. Participants with migraine had higher quantitative T2 (qT2) in the left occipital cortex than healthy controls (p < 0.0001). In migraine with aura, the higher qT2 was more widespread and located bilaterally in the occipital cortices, compared with controls (left, p < 0.0001; right p = 0.004). Post-hoc analysis revealed overlapping ADC elevations in migraine with aura compared with controls (p = 0.0069)., Interpretation: Quantitative MRI changes compatible with cortical inflammation were detected in participants with migraine, and appeared driven by the subgroup with aura. Higher occipital qT2 in migraine with aura might represent either extracellular edema or accumulation of inflammatory microglia or astrocytes. These results support the importance of cortical inflammation in migraine pathophysiology, particularly in migraine with aura. ANN NEUROL 2025., (© 2025 The Author(s). Annals of Neurology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Neurological Association.)

Although both central and peripheral inflammation have been observed consistently in depression, the relationship between the two remains obscure. Extra-axial immune cells may play a role in mediating the connection between central and peripheral immunity. This study investigates the potential roles of calvarial bone marrow and parameningeal spaces in mediating interactions between central and peripheral immunity in depression. PET was used to measure regional TSPO expression in the skull and parameninges as a marker of inflammatory activity. This measure was correlated with brain TSPO expression and peripheral cytokine concentrations in a cohort enriched for heightened peripheral and central immunity comprising 51 individuals with depression and 25 healthy controls. The findings reveal a complex relationship between regional skull TSPO expression and both peripheral and central immunity. Facial and parietal skull bone TSPO expression showed significant associations with both peripheral and central immunity. TSPO expression in the confluence of sinuses was also linked to both central and peripheral immune markers. Group-dependent elevations in TSPO expression within the occipital skull bone marrow were also found to be significantly associated with central inflammation. Significant associations between immune activity within the skull, parameninges, parenchyma and periphery highlight the role of the skull bone marrow and venous sinuses as pivotal sites for peripheral and central immune interactions., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain.)

Although the pathophysiology of migraine involves a complex ensemble of peripheral and central nervous system changes that remain incompletely understood, the activation and sensitization of the trigeminovascular system is believed to play a major role. However, non-invasive, in vivo neuroimaging studies investigating the underlying neural mechanisms of trigeminal system abnormalities in human migraine patients are limited. Here, we studied 60 patients with migraine (55 females, mean age ± SD: 36.28 ± 11.95 years) and 20 age-/sex-matched healthy controls (19 females, mean age ± SD: 35.45 ± 13.30 years) using ultra-high field 7 Tesla diffusion tensor imaging and functional MRI, as well as PET with the translocator protein ligand [11C]-PBR28. We evaluated MRI diffusivity measures and PET signal at the trigeminal nerve root, as well as brainstem functional MRI response to innocuous, ophthalmic trigeminal nerve territory stimulation. Patients with migraine demonstrated altered white matter microstructure at the trigeminal nerve root (n=53), including reduced fractional anisotropy, compared to healthy controls (n=18). Furthermore, in patients, lower fractional anisotropy was accompanied by 1) higher neuroinflammation (i.e. elevated [11C]-PBR28 PET signal) at the nerve root (n=36) and 2) lower functional MRI activation in an ipsilateral pontine cluster consistent with spinal trigeminal nucleus (n=51). These findings were more robust on the right side, which was consistent with the observation that right headache dominant patients demonstrated higher migraine severity compared to left headache dominant patients in our cohort. Multimodal imaging of the integrated neural mechanisms that characterize migraine underscores the importance of trigeminal system remodeling as both a key aspect of the dynamics underlying migraine pathophysiology and a target for therapeutic interventions., (© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

There has been a lot of controversy regarding mirror neuron function in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in particular during the observation of biological motions (BM). Here, we directly explored the link between visual attention and brain activity in terms of mu suppression, by simultaneously recording eye-tracking and EEGs during BM tasks. Nineteen autistic children (15 boys, mean age = 11.57 ± 4.28 years) and 19 age-matched neurotypical (NT) children (15 boys, mean age = 11.68 ± 5.22 years) participated in the study. Each participant's eye movement and EEG were simultaneously recorded while watching four BM stimuli (walking, cartwheeling, free-throwing and underarm throwing) and a scrambled condition. Mu (8-13 Hz) suppression index (SI) for central regions was calculated. Fixation counts and percent of fixation time were calculated as indices of eye movements. EEG results revealed significant mu suppressions in the central region in both groups for all BM actions. Eye-tracking results showed that NT children had greater fixation counts and a higher percentage of fixation time than autistic children, indicating greater overall visual attention to BM. Notably, correlational analyses for both groups further revealed that individuals' fixation time and fixation counts were negatively correlated with the mu suppression index for all actions, indicating a strong association between visual attention and mu SI in the central region. Our findings suggest a critical role of visual attention in interpreting mu suppression during action perception in autism., (© 2024 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Experimental research has shown the benefits of auditory white noise on cognitive performance in children with attention problems. However, little is currently known about individual differences in noise response amongst children with a clinical diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In addition, no research has so far tested the effects of visual white noise on children with ADHD., Objectives: The present work aimed at testing the effect of visual and auditory white noise on cognitive performance in children diagnosed with ADHD., Method: Forty-three children with ADHD diagnosis performed a visuo-spatial working memory test with experimentally controlled auditory and visual white noise. Symptomatic and demographic data were collected., Results: Surprisingly, results did not show significant effects of noise across the full sample of ADHD children. However, responses to noise appeared to affect subgroups of ADHD children differently: Those with relatively more inattentive traits responded positively on noise exposure whereas those with relatively more hyperactive/impulsive traits performed worse during noise exposure. Individual differences in noise response in the auditory and visual modalities were strongly correlated., Conclusions: It is important to consider individual differences in response to noise exposure, and to take into account the specific ADHD symptom profile (inattentive vs. hyperactive/impulsive) in applying noise to support cognitive performance in children with ADHD., (© 2024 Göran B W Söderlund et al., published by Sciendo.)

Quantification of face-to-face interaction can provide highly relevant information in cognitive and psychological science research. Current commercial glint-dependent solutions suffer from several disadvantages and limitations when applied in face-to-face interaction, including data loss, parallax errors, the inconvenience and distracting effect of wearables, and/or the need for several cameras to capture each person. Here we present a novel eye-tracking solution, consisting of a dual-camera system used in conjunction with an individually optimized deep learning approach that aims to overcome some of these limitations. Our data show that this system can accurately classify gaze location within different areas of the face of two interlocutors, and capture subtle differences in interpersonal gaze synchrony between two individuals during a (semi-)naturalistic face-to-face interaction., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Pupillary contagion occurs when one's pupil size unconsciously adapts to the pupil size of an observed individual and is presumed to reflect the transfer of arousal. Importantly, when estimating pupil contagion, low level stimuli properties need to be controlled for, to ensure that observations of pupillary changes are due to internal change in arousal rather than the external differences between stimuli. Here, naturalistic images of children's faces depicting either small or large pupils were presented to a group of children and adolescents with a wide range of autistic traits, a third of whom had been diagnosed with autism. We examined the extent to which pupillary contagion reflects autonomic nervous system reaction through pupil size change, heart rate and skin conductance response. Our second aim was to determine the association between arousal reaction to stimuli and degree of autistic traits. Results show that pupil contagion and concomitant heart rate change, but not skin conductance change, was evident when gaze was restricted to the eye region of face stimuli. A positive association was also observed between pupillary contagion and autistic traits when participants' gaze was constrained to the eye region. Findings add to a broader understanding of the mechanisms underlying pupillary contagion and its association with autism., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background and Objectives: Structural imaging can offer insights into the cortical morphometry of migraine, which might reflect adaptations to recurring nociceptive messaging. This study compares cortical morphometry between a large sample of people with migraine and healthy controls, as well as across migraine subtypes., Methods: Adult participants with migraine and age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls attended a single MRI session with magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequences at 3T. Cortical surface area, thickness, and volume were compared between participants with migraine (including subgroups) and healthy controls across the whole cortex within FreeSurfer and reported according to the Desikan-Killiany atlas. The analysis used cluster-determining thresholds of p < 0.0001 and cluster-wise thresholds of p < 0.05, adjusted for age, sex, and total intracranial volume., Results: A total of 296 participants with migraine (mean age 41.6 years ± 12.4 SD, 261 women) and 155 healthy controls (mean age 41.1 years ± 11.7 SD, 133 women) were included. Among the participants with migraine, 180 (63.5%) had chronic migraine, 103 (34.8%) had migraine with aura, and 88 (29.7%) experienced a migraine headache during the scan. The total cohort of participants with migraine had reduced cortical surface area in the left insula, compared with controls ( p < 0.0001). Furthermore, participants with chronic migraine (n = 180) exhibited reduced surface area in the left insula ( p < 0.0001) and increased surface area in the right caudal anterior cingulate cortex ( p < 0.0001), compared with controls. We found no differences specific to participants with aura or ongoing migraine headache. Post hoc tests revealed a positive correlation between monthly headache days and surface area within the identified anterior cingulate cluster ( p = 0.014)., Discussion: The identified cortical changes in migraine were limited to specific pain processing regions, including the insula and caudal anterior cingulate gyrus, and were most notable in participants with chronic migraine. These findings suggest persistent cortical changes associated with migraine., Trial Registration Information: The REFORM study (clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT04674020).