Cognitive impairment in tension-type headache is associated with altered hippocampal functional connectivity
Tension-type headache (TTH) is a widespread primary headache disorder that causes mild to moderate pain, which may be seen together with cognitive deficits. It is unclear if TTH-linked cognitive impairment is associated with functional alterations. Seventy-five participants were enrolled in the study. Mini Mental State Evaluation (MMSE) and Montreal Cognition Assessment (MoCA) tests were applied to evaluate cognitive impairment. A neuroimaging analysis was applied to determine whether the hippocampus responsible for pain and cognition was affected in TTH patients. Our functional data revealed significant alterations in the connectivity of the subiculum, hippocampal fissure, and left whole hippocampus. Among the significant functional brain alterations observed, the right subiculum consistently interacted with MoCA scores and increased pain intensity. Our findings suggest that TTH patients with cognitive impairment may exhibit unique functional alterations in the hippocampus. This suggests a potential negative association between pain modulation and cognitive processes in the hippocampus that may be responsible for the increased risk of dementia in these patients.
Authors
- Ayşe Karakuş (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4955-0609)
- Dila Sayman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3047-3613)
- Lütfü Hanoğlu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4292-5717)
- Ece Özdemir Öktem (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1264-5696)
- Adil Mardinoğlu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4254-6090)
- Şeyda Çankaya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5309-0351)
- Sevilay Ayyıldız (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6870-8177)
- Behçet Ayyıldız (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1750-4099)
- Ali Yalçınkaya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5427-8118)
- Bernis Sütçübaşı (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7796-1841)
- Halil Aziz Velioğlu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2306-5937)
- Mehmet Ozansoy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1079-8832)
- Ceyhun Sayman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2940-5186)
- Shair Shah Safa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0378-1766)
- Uğur Aylak
- Umutcan Duran (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5507-5398)
- Ramazan Karaca
- Burak Yulug
Institutions
- Bahçeşehir University (TR)
- Feinstein Institute for Medical Research (US)
- Istanbul Medipol University (TR)
- Acıbadem University (TR)
- Alanya University (TR)
- Kocaeli Üniversitesi (TR)
- Technical University of Munich (DE)
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology (SE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- iScience
- Published
- 2025-10-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.113850
- Primary Topic
- Migraine and Headache Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00