Glutamate in the visual cortex changes within the migraine cycle in children and adolescents

Migraine is a common neurological disorder in pediatrics, yet the pathophysiology remains unclear. Migraine is characterized by episodic attacks, suggesting a shifting excitation-inhibition imbalance that when tipped, will trigger an attack. We used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentrations to examine changes in these brain metabolites across different phases of the migraine attack in children and adolescents. We show fluctuations in glutamate with migraine cycle phases in the visual cortex. There were no observed changes in glutamate nor GABA in the sensorimotor cortex and the thalamus.