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Cognitive performance in patients with episodic cluster headache outside and inside the active cluster
Author(s) -
NavarroPérez María Pilar,
BellostaDiago Elena,
ViloriaAlebesque Alejandro,
GarridoFernández Alberto,
LópezBravo Alba,
SantosLasaosa Sonia
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
headache: the journal of head and face pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.14
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1526-4610
pISSN - 0017-8748
DOI - 10.1111/head.14052
Subject(s) - audiology , trail making test , pittsburgh sleep quality index , cluster headache , cognition , psychology , neuropsychology , stroop effect , effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance , verbal fluency test , medicine , sleep quality , psychiatry , migraine
Background Previous studies have shown worse cognitive performance in cluster headache (CH) patients compared to healthy controls; however, little is known about cognitive performance in episodic CH (ECH) patients outside and inside the active cluster (AC). Objective Our aim is to compare cognitive function in ECH patients outside and inside the AC. Methods In this cross‐sectional, observational study, four neuropsychological tests (Trail Making Test [TMT], Stroop Test [ST], verbal fluency [VF], and Symbol Digit Modalities Test [SDT]) were completed by 21 ECH patients at two different points in time: outside and inside the AC. We also assessed self‐reported sleep quality and the presence of anxiety or depressive symptoms. Scores were compared. Results There was not any difference between the scores of the neuropsychological tests performed outside and inside the AC (TMT‐A: 23 vs. 23.5; p = 0.984; TMT‐B: 96.5 vs. 85.9; p = 0.104; ST word reading: 101.0 vs. 101.2; p = 0.938; ST color naming: 73.0 vs. 73.4; p = 0.858; ST color word: 44.0 vs. 46.0; p = 0.498; SDMT: 44.0 vs. 44.6; p = 0.961; VF phonemic: 29.5 vs. 30.2; p = 0.714; VF semantic: 20 vs. 21; p = 0.489). We found a worsening in the sleep quality component of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index median scores in patients outside the AC (2 vs. 1; p = 0.046). Conclusions Our findings suggest that patients with ECH have a similar cognitive performance outside and during the AC.