SynthesisFrontiers in neurology2025
Disrupting the clock: meta-analysis of irregular night shifts and migraine, proposing shift work migraine disorder with chronobiology strategies.
Synthesis in Frontiers in neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Shift work migraine disorder: evidence, mechanisms, and implications for diagnosis, prevention, and management.The journal of headache and pain · 2026Review
- Shifts with Nights and Migraine Prevalence Among Nurses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
- Update of
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Background: Migraine is linked to circadian rhythm disruptions, with morning attack peaks, circadian variations in trigeminal pain sensitivity, anterior hypothalamus involvement, and core circadian clock gene activity. Irregular night shift work, affecting up to 50% of the population, including new parents and students, causes significant circadian disruption. We hypothesize that irregular night shifts increase migraine prevalence compared to fixed schedules. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies up to March 27, 2025, assessed migraine prevalence in irregular versus fixed night shift workers, searching Web of Science and PubMed with terms like "shift work" and "migraine" (PRISMA/MOOSE-compliant, PROSPERO: CRD420250654865). Study quality was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). A random-effects meta-analysis calculated weighted odds ratios (ORs) for migraine prevalence. Results: From 203 records, 13 high-quality cross-sectional studies ( Conclusion: Irregular night shifts disrupt circadian rhythms, elevating migraine odds but not tension-type headache, suggesting fixed schedules may reduce the burden. Chronobiology-informed management, including slow-rotating schedules (≥5 days with rest days), delay-directed rotations, timed light exposure, and ambient temperature regulation, needs testing to prevent 'Shift Work Migraine Disorder,' a proposed distinct migraine subgroup. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO, CRD420250654865.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.