Visual Attention in Children With Migraine: The Importance of Prophylaxis

• Published in: Journal of child neurology 2016-04, Vol.31 (5), p.569-572
• Main Authors: Villa, Thaís Rodrigues, Agessi, Larissa M., Moutran, Andréa R. C., Gabbai, Alberto A., Carvalho, Deusvenir de S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - etiology; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - prevention & control; Child; Female; Humans; Male; Migraine Disorders - complications; Migraine Disorders - drug therapy; Neuropsychological Tests; Retrospective Studies; Vasodilator Agents - therapeutic use; Vision Disorders - etiology; Vision Disorders - prevention & control
• ISSN: 0883-0738; 1708-8283
• DOI: 10.1177/0883073815601498

This study aimed to compare the visual attention performance of children newly diagnosed with migraine, children undergoing migraine prophylaxis, and a healthy control group. Eighty-two children aged 8 to 12 years were divided into 3 groups: untreated migraine (n = 30), migraine prophylaxis (n = 22), and control (n = 30). All were subjected to a visual attention assessment with the Trail Making Test parts A and B, Letter-Cancellation Test, and the Brazilian Visual Attention Test 3rd edition. Although performance in attention tasks was within the normal range in all groups, children with untreated migraine performed significantly worse in some visual attention tests than did the control children or children undergoing migraine prophylaxis. The migraine prophylaxis group performed as well as the control group. The deregulation of the neurochemical mechanisms underlying the physiopathology of migraine might induce visual attention deficits, but an effective prophylactic treatment might reverse migraine symptoms.