Behavioural treatment programme contributes to normalization of contingent negative variation in children with migraine.
BACKGROUND
Migraine is a disorder of central information processing which may be characterized by increased amplitudes and reduced habituation of evoked and event-related potentials. In this pilot study, special behavioural training of habituation to aversive stimuli (MIPAS-Family = Migraine Patient Seminar for Families) was developed and proven effective in children suffering from migraine without aura.


METHODS
13 children with migraine participated in the MIPAS-Family programme and 13 other children with migraine were treated with biofeedback. The influence of both treatments on abnormal cortical information processing in migraine was assessed using recordings of the contingent negative variation (CNV), an event-related slow cortical potential.


RESULTS
Both MIPAS training and biofeedback caused an equal reduction of migraine frequency and severity. However, MIPAS treatment was associated with a significant increase in iCNV habituation. Changes in the clinical course of migraine correlated positively with normalization of habituation: the greater the reduction in headache frequency, the greater the increase in CNV habituation was. These effects were not observed in the biofeedback group.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that the specific treatment programme which was evolved from knowledge of pathogenetic mechanisms of migraine influences central information processing and leads to a clinical effect.
Neuropaediatric Department, Paediatric Hospital, Christian-Albrechts-University, Schwanenweg 20, Kiel, Germany. m.siniatchkin@pedneuro.uni-kiel.de
Michael
M
Siniatchkin
Gabriele
G
Gerber-von Müller
Stephani
S
Darabaneanu
Franz
F
Petermann
Ulrich
U
Stephani
Wolf-Dieter
WD
Gerber
D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology; D002648:Child; D003265:Contingent Negative Variation / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D010865:Pilot Projects