Table 1 Summary of the currently published pre-ictal imaging studies using serial imaging in migraine

Stankewitz et al., 2011 [27]

fMRI with nociceptive stimulation (gaseous ammonia as nociceptive stimulus)

Migraine (n = 20)

Healthy controls (n = 20)

Interictal imaging at least 72 h before next and 72 h following last migraine attack (additional 10 subjects pre-ictal, 13 ictal on post hoc analyses)

Trigeminal activation peaks ictally

The next migraine attack can be predicted by signal intensity in the spinal nucleus

Schulte et al., 2016 [20]

Task-evoked fMRI with nociceptive stimulation (visual stimulation, gaseous ammonia nociceptive stimulation, rose odour olfactory stimulation and air control)

One migraine without aura subject

Daily scanning for 30 days, capturing 3 spontaneous attacks

Increased hypothalamic activity in the lead up to headache

Altered functional connectivity between hypothalamus and spinal trigeminal nuclei and dorsolateral pons the day before headache

Meylakh et al., 2018 [23]

Resting state fMRI with infra-slow oscillatory activity, regional homogeneity, and connectivity analyses

Migraine (n = 26)

Healthy controls (n = 78)

Serial ‘interictal’ scans, capturing 11 subjects 72 h and 8 subjects 24 h before headache, 26 interictal

Increased infra-slow oscillatory activity in hypothalamus and brainstem 24 h preceding migraine headache. Increased midbrain and hypothalamus functional connectivity and regional homogeneity 24 h preceding headache

Marciszewski et al., 2018 [24]

fMRI with nociceptive stimulation (specifically brainstem)

Migraine (n = 31)

Healthy controls (n = 60)

Serial ‘interictal’ scans, capturing 10 subjects 72 h and 10 subjects 24 h before headache, 28 interictal

Increased activation of spinal trigeminal nucleus pre-ictally

Reduced functional connectivity between spinal trigeminal nucleus and rostroventral medulla pre-ictally

Marciszewski et al., 2019 [54]

DTI

Migraine (n = 36)

Healthy controls (n = 29)

Serial ‘interictal’ scans, capturing 15 subjects 72 h and 13 subjects 24 h before headache, 31 interictal

Interictal mean diffusivity changes in midbrain, dorsomedial pons and spinal trigeminal nucleus, normalised to control levels 24 h ahead of headache, and were then altered again for 72 h thereafter

Meylakh et al., 2020 [22]

Resting state fMRI with pCASL and connectivity analysis

Migraine (n = 24)

Healthy controls (n = 26)

Serial ‘interictal’ scans, capturing 13 subjects 72 h after headache and 7 subjects 24 h before headache, 22 interictal

Reduced blood flow in lateral hypothalamus 24 h leading up to headache

Reduced hypothalamic functional connectivity with PAG, dorsal pons, rostral ventromedial medulla and cingulate cortex

Schulte et al., 2020 [19]

Task-evoked fMRI with nociceptive stimulation (visual stimulation, gaseous ammonia nociceptive stimulation, rose odour olfactory stimulation and air control)

Migraine (n = 7)

Daily scanning for 30 days, capturing 27 attacks

Hypothalamic activation in the 48 h prior to headache

Schulte et al., 2020 [25]

Resting state fMRI with connectivity analysis

Migraine (n = 8)

Daily scanning for 30 days, capturing 15 attacks

Increased connectivity between right nucleus accumbens and left amygdala, hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus in the pre-ictal phase

Increased connectivity between nucleus accumbens and dorsorostral pons

Meylakh et al., 2021 [21]

Resting state fMRI

Migraine (n = 3)

Healthy controls (n = 5)

Scanning 5 days a week for 4 weeks, acquiring interictal and pre-ictal scans within 72 or 24 h of headache

Resting brainstem activity most variable 24 h preceding headache, in dorsal pons and spinal trigeminal nucleus

Stankewitz et al., 2022 [26]

Resting state fMRI with network connectivity analysis

Migraine (n = 12)

Serial ‘interictal’ scans

Cyclical changes in visual, auditory, somatosensory and limbic networks increasing over migraine cycle and peaking pre-ictally and returning to baseline during headache