Inter-individual differences in pain anticipation and pain perception in migraine: Neural correlates of migraine frequency and cortisol-to-dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) ratio

Gyöngyi Kökönyei; Attila Galambos; Natália Kocsel; Edina Szabó; Andrea Edit Édes; Kinga Gecse; Dániel Baksa; Dorottya Pap; Lajos R Kozák; György Bagdy; Gabriella Juhász

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0261570

Inter-individual differences in pain anticipation and pain perception in migraine: Neural correlates of migraine frequency and cortisol-to-dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) ratio

PLoS One. 2021 Dec 20;16(12):e0261570. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261570. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Gyöngyi Kökönyei^{1

2

3}, Attila Galambos^{2

4}, Natália Kocsel², Edina Szabó^{2

5}, Andrea Edit Édes¹, Kinga Gecse^{1

3}, Dániel Baksa^{1

3}, Dorottya Pap³, Lajos R Kozák⁶, György Bagdy^{3

7}, Gabriella Juhász^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ SE-NAP2 Genetic Brain Imaging Migraine Research Group, Hungarian Brain Research Program, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
² Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
³ Department of Pharmacodynamics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
⁴ Doctoral School of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
⁵ Center for Pain and the Brain (PAIN Research Group), Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America.
⁶ MR Research Center, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
⁷ MTA-SE Neuropsychopharmacology and Neurochemistry Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.

Abstract

Previous studies targeting inter-individual differences in pain processing in migraine mainly focused on the perception of pain. Our main aim was to disentangle pain anticipation and perception using a classical fear conditioning task, and investigate how migraine frequency and pre-scan cortisol-to-dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) ratio as an index of neurobiological stress response would relate to neural activation in these two phases. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data of 23 participants (18 females; mean age: 27.61± 5.36) with episodic migraine without aura were analysed. We found that migraine frequency was significantly associated with pain anticipation in brain regions comprising the midcingulate and caudate, whereas pre-scan cortisol-to DHEA-S ratio was related to pain perception in the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA). Both results suggest exaggerated preparatory responses to pain or more general to stressors, which may contribute to the allostatic load caused by stressors and migraine attacks on the brain.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Brain / diagnostic imaging
Brain / metabolism
Brain Chemistry
Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate / analysis
Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate / metabolism*
Female
Functional Neuroimaging
Humans
Hydrocortisone / analysis
Hydrocortisone / metabolism*
Individuality
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Migraine Disorders / epidemiology
Migraine Disorders / psychology*
Pain Perception*
Young Adult

Substances

Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate
Hydrocortisone

Grants and funding

The study was supported by the MTA-SE-NAP B Genetic Brain Imaging Migraine Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Semmelweis University (Grant No. KTIA_NAP_13-2-2015-0001) to GJ; Hungarian Brain Research Programe (Grant No. 2017-1.2.1-NKP-2017-00002) to GJ and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA-SE Neuropsychopharmacology and Neurochemistry Research Group) To GB. The preparation of this work was supported by the Thematic Excellence Programme (Tématerületi Kiválósági Program, 2020-4.1.1.-TKP2020) of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology in Hungary, within the framework of the Neurology and Translational Biotechnology thematic programmes of the Semmelweis University. LRK was supported by the Bolyai Research Fellowship Program of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The preparation of this article for GK was supported by the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office (FK128614). GJ was supported by the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office, Hungary (2019-2.1.7-ERA-NET-2020-00005), under the frame of ERA PerMed (ERAPERMED2019-108). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.