Open AccessIncreased Cortical Excitability in Female Migraineurs: A Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study Conducted in the Preovulatory Phase
Author(s) -
Hatice Yüksel,
Kamil Topalkara
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of clinical neurology/the journal of clinical neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.208
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 2005-5013
pISSN - 1738-6586
DOI - 10.3988/jcn.2021.17.2.236
Subject(s) - transcranial magnetic stimulation , stimulation , medicine , audiology , neuroscience , anesthesia , psychology
The cerebral cortex has been the focus of investigations of the pathogenesis of migraine for a long time. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a safe and effective technique for evaluating cortex excitability. Previous studies of the duration of the cortical silent period (CSP)-a measure of intracortical inhibition-in migraine patients have yielded conflicting results. We aimed to characterize cortical excitability by applying TMS to female migraineurs during the preovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle, in order to eliminate the effects of variations in sex hormones.