Migraine is Associated with Reduced Cognitive Performance in Young Adults

Year 2026, Volume: 8 Issue: 1, 14 - 8

Binnur Özkar , Aydın Sinan Apaydın

Abstract

Aim: Migraine can cause structural changes in the brain. However, the behavioral consequences of these changes are still controversial. This study aimed to examine the cognitive performance findings obtained with the Digit Span and Stroop Test TBAG form in young adult individuals with migraine.
Material and Method: This study included 25 individuals with migraine and 26 individuals without migraine. Individuals with migraine were questioned about migraine characteristics and were administered The Migraine Disability Assessment Test (MIDAS) and The 24-h Migraine Quality of Life Questionnaire (24-h MQoLQ). The Stroop Test and the forward and backward Digit Span Test (DST) were administered to all participants at least 72 hours after their most recent migraine attack, in order to avoid the acute effects of the ictal and postictal phases.
Results: The comparison between groups revealed no significant differences in Stroop Test parts 1 through 4 (p>0.05). However, participants with migraine performed significantly poorer on Stroop 5 than those in the control group (p=0.040). Similarly, both forward and backward DST scores were significantly reduced in the migraine group (p=0.001 and p<0.001). No significant associations were found between cognitive performance and migraine duration, frequency, or severity, as measured by the 24-h MQoLQ and MIDAS scores (p>0.05).
Conclusion: Individuals with migraine may exhibit reduced cognitive performance. Monitoring cognitive functioning in patients with migraine may be beneficial for identifying changes over time and supporting cognitive health.

Keywords

Migraine , cognitive functions , digit span , brain , stroop

Ethical Statement

The study protocol received approval from Karabük University’s Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee (Decision No: 2025/2261, Date: 28.04.2025).

Thanks

We would like to thank Dr. Emre Soylemez for his assistance with the statistical analysis of the study, as well as all the participants who took part in the study.

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