Migraine also affects children and leaves its mark. This neurological disorder leaves imprints in the brains and intestines of the very young. The discovery is due to two new studies conducted by a group of researchers from the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital in Rome, who investigated the brain structure and microbiota composition of children with migraine, revealing significant differences from healthy peers. The research, funded by the Ministry of Health and the International Headache Society, was conducted on 100 children and adolescents with migraine and a control group of 100 peers without migraine. The scholars found some significant differences between the two groups (migraineurs and healthy): through MRI and the "morphometric similarity" analysis technique, different patterns of connection between brain areas were detected, especially those involved in executive functions and processing of pain stimuli, and, at the same areas, also a reduction in the thickness of the cerebral cortex. Migraine, the most common form of primary headache among children and adolescents, is a neurological disorder that affects about 11% of the pediatric population (more than one in 10 children). It is often due to a genetic predisposition, confirmed by the presence of other cases in the family. It can present at any age, even in the first few months of life, although among toddlers the disease does not manifest itself with headache but with symptoms such as cyclic vomiting, recurrent abdominal and joint pain, dizziness, stiff neck, and motion sickness.
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