The transient global amnesia-migraine connection
G. F. Crowell, D. A. Stump, J. Biller, L. C. McHenry Jr and J. F. Toole
Twelve patients with transient global amnesia (TGA) were studied. Seven
(58%) of the 12 had a headache during their attack; five (42%) of the 12
were migraineurs. Measurement of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) by the
xenon Xe 133 inhalation method showed similar patterns of flow in five of
the seven patients tested. The rCBF abnormalities were impaired vasomotor
response in the watershed area between the middle cerebral artery and
posterior cerebral artery territories, and/or focal ischemia in the
inferior part of the temporal lobe. These rCBF abnormalities differed from
those seen in patients with carotid transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) and
vertebrobasilar TIAs. We speculate that the vasomotor phenomena in migraine
may play a major role in the cause of TGA.
