Dysphasia and Other Higher Cortical Dysfunctions During the Migraine Aura—a Systematic Review of Literature

Abstract

Purpose of the Review: Although visual and somatosensory disturbances are the most common migraine aura (MA) symptoms, patients can also experience other symptoms during their MA. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of studies that report symptoms of dysphasia and other higher cortical dysfunctions (HCDs) during MA, as well as to determine the frequency of HCDs. Recent Findings: Five studies met the inclusion criteria, corresponding to 697 patients overall. The most frequently reported HCDs were those of the language group (range 10–53%). The occurrence of visual HCDs was noted in 12–40 patients, somatosensory HCDs in 12–20%, and memory disturbances in 10–22% of the patients during MAs. Summary: MA is associated with a wide range of neurological symptoms, including symptoms of HCD. A better strategy for investigation of the HCD symptoms is needed to correctly stratify patients thus allowing meaningful studies of aura pathophysiology. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.