Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41888641›Full record

ArticleThe journal of headache and pain2026

Mesocorticolimbic circuitry in episodic migraine: reward- and punishment-related responses and resting-state connectivity.

Stefania Ferraro, Menghan Li, Dan Liu, Yali Zhou, Yiqi Mi, Shengkun Peng, Longlin Yin, Bin Huang, Luca Giani, Keith M Kendrick and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The journal of headache and pain, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Stefania FerraroSichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China. stefania@uestc.edu.cn.
Menghan LiSichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Dan LiuSichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Yali ZhouSichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Yiqi MiSichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Shengkun PengDepartment of Radiology, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Longlin YinDepartment of Radiology, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Bin HuangDepartment of Neurology, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Luca GianiIstituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Neurological Rehabilitation Unit of Milano Institute, Milano, Italy.
Keith M KendrickSichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Michael MaesSichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China. dr.michaelmaes@hotmail.com.
Benjamin BeckerMIND & AI Lab, Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.

Funding

Key R&D project of Science and Technology Department of the Sichuan Province (China) M112022YFWZ0003
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundClinical evidence suggests an involvement of the dopaminergic system in migraine pathophysiology; however, its functional role remains poorly understood. We investigated neurofunctional alterations within mesocorticolimbic/dopaminergic circuits in individuals with episodic migraine compared with healthy controls.

methodsWe employed a Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) fMRI task to assess mesocorticolimbic function during reward and loss anticipation in individuals with episodic migraine (n = 25) and control subjects (n = 27). Group differences in task-related activity were examined within core mesocorticolimbic regions, including the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, and medial prefrontal cortex, focusing on the anticipation phase, which has been widely suggested to be sensitive to dopaminergic signaling. Resting-state fMRI was additionally used to assess intrinsic functional connectivity within the same regions.

resultsRepeated-measures ANCOVA indicated reduced mesocorticolimbic activity during anticipation in migraine patients compared with controls. Logistic regression analyses further showed that loss anticipation–related activity discriminated between the two groups. Planned contrasts revealed reduced responses specifically within the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area during loss anticipation. Exploratory analyses showed an association between mesocorticolimbic activity during loss anticipation and the self-reported attack-related pain intensity, although this did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. No significant associations were observed between loss anticipation–related activity with affective symptom severity (BDI, STAI). Supporting these results, resting-state fMRI analyses further revealed altered nucleus accumbens–prefrontal functional connectivity in migraine patients.

interpretationOverall, the observed pattern suggests that individuals with episodic migraine are characterized by a reduction in mesocorticolimbic responsivity, mainly involving the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens, during reward/loss anticipation processes, but with a preferential reduction in negative-valence (loss) anticipation. These task-related alterations are embedded within an altered nucleus accumbens–prefrontal pathway evident at rest. Together, these findings are consistent with a disturbance of mesocorticolimbic function in episodic migraine, potentially involving dopaminergic mechanisms.

Indexed as

Migraine DisordersPunishmentRewardAdultBrain MappingFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMesolimbic SystemNeural PathwaysNucleus AccumbensRestYoung AdultEpisodic migraineMesocorticolimbic systemMonetary Incentive Delay taskNAccVTA

Identifiers

PMID41888641
PMCPMC13141355

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.