Evaluation Methods for Deficits in Central Auditory Processing Among the Patients of Migraine

Background: Migraine is a neurological disorder characterized by abnormal excitability in the visual, somato-sensory, and motor cortices. Migraine may be a risk factor for developing HL and tinnitus. Investigating the relationship between Migraine and Hearing loss using different clinical tools and auditory instruments would encourage future research into the underlying patho-physiology and shared otologic principles between them. Hence comprehensive migraine prevention/treatment protocols may improve the outcomes of these associated otologic conditions. The present study was aimed to assess and compare auditory processing performance in migraine patients with and without dizziness, as well as in healthy controls. Materials: 80 participants were divided into three groups: the control group (20 healthy subjects), study group I (30 subjects with migraine), and study group II (30 subjects with vestibular migraine). Participants were evaluated using the Central Auditory Processing Questionnaire for adults, tympanometry, pure tone audiometry, and psychophysical central auditory tests, Intelligibility in Noise Test, Gap in Noise Test. Results: No significant differences were found between study groups I and II, but both study groups showed significant differences compared to the control group across all central auditory tests. A statistically significant difference was observed between the control group and both study groups in all memory tests. The highest percentage of abnormalities was noted in temporal resolution and selective auditory attention in both study groups. There was no significant correlation between the frequency of attacks per month and the central auditory test results. Conclusions: Both migraine and vestibular migraine patients demonstrated poorer performance in all psychophysical central auditory tests compared to the control group. Additionally, there were no significant differences between the two study groups, suggesting that migraine, with or without dizziness, may share a similar underlying pathophysiology.