Motor coordination impairment and migraine in children: a new comorbidity?

Abstract

Migraine without aura (MoA) could be considered the most frequent form of primary headache in children, associated with many known comorbidities, but only the recent literature has begun to consider the importance of motor impairment linked to the attacks. The developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a very common problem among children, with a prevalence ranging up to 19 %. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of motor coordination impairment in a population of children affected by MoA, and its role as putative risk factor for motor skills impairment. This observational study was performed in the Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry of the Second University of Naples. MoA was diagnosed according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders (IHS-2) criteria. The study population consisted of 27 patients affected by MoA (16 females, 11 males) (mean age: 8.7 ± 2.15 years) and 59 typically developing children (34 females, 25 males) (mean age: 8.0 ± 2.1 years). The whole population underwent a clinical evaluation in order to assess the total IQ level, the visual motor integration skills, and the presence of DCD. Our results showed that MoA children had more impairments in motor coordination (p < 0.001) and visual motor integration (p < 0.001) than control group. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the association of poor motor coordination and MoA in children using objective measurements. These findings suggest a new perspective in the management of migraine disease in children, pinpointing that the relationship between DCD and migraine could represent a not yet understood or identified comorbidity, even if further reports are necessary, and that migraine probably could be considered not only a painful syndrome in future.

Associations Between Sleep Quality and Migraine Frequency

“…47 Furthermore, previous studies showed that migraine may disturb sleep architecture, with excessive daytime sleepiness, higher prevalence of cosleeping with family, and disorders in initiating and maintaining sleep in developmental age. 48–52 Additionally, migraines may have some impacts on perceptual organizational ability, 53 mood, 54 and motor coordination 55 in school-aged children. Collectively, the interrelationship and influences between migraine and sleep may not only occur in adults but also in adolescents and children.…”

Orexin System: The Key for a Healthy Life

“…By contrast OP rats displayed lower SPA endogenous levels after a high-fat diet administration if compared to their OR group counterpart (Levin et al, 1997; Esposito et al, 2012a). Conversely, obesity tends to increase also the prevalence of migraine in all ages of life (Esposito et al, 2012b; Verrotti et al, 2012, 2015). …”

Can headache impair intellectual abilities in children? An observational study

“…A recent report has suggested a higher prevalence of developmental coordination disorder and borderline motor skills in children affected by migraine,16 that could be related to their cognitive performance, particularly the reduction in perceptual organization abilities found in children suffering from migraine without aura 17. On the other hand, the presence of headache in late adulthood could seem to be related to worse performance on some measures of executive functioning, suggesting that a cognitive impact is not specific to migraine but might be associated with headache in general 18.…”