Evidence Hub

Association of nociceptive, neurocognitive, psychological and genetic profile on conditioned pain modulation in women with migraine: protocol for a case-control study

Fernández de Las Peñas C, Cigarán-Méndez M, Ambite-Quesada S, Gómez-Calero C, Fernández-Palacios FG, Pacho-Hernández JC, Tejera-Alonso A, Plaza-Manzano G et al.

BMJ open, 2025

90 participants

Abstract

Introduction: Migraine is a primary headache showing a multifactorial component that includes altered pain processing, psychological/emotional problems, neurocognitive and executive function deficits, all with a possible genetic association. The aim of the current study will be to evaluate the association between sensitisation, psychological/emotional, neurocognitive and genetic profile on conditioned pain modulation (CPM) in women with migraine from a multidisciplinary perspective.

Methods and analysis: A cross-sectional observational case-control study including 90 women with chronic migraine, 90 women with episodic migraine and 90 women without migraine (as controls) will be conducted. Clinical variables (disability, pain), processing (sensitisation-associated, neuropathic-like symptoms), psychological/emotional (anxiety, depression, sleep quality, catastrophising), neurocognitive (attention), executive functions (memory, mental inhibition, speed processing) and genetics (Val158Met polymorphism rs4680 gene) will be assessed in all subjects by healthcare professionals. Subsequently, CPM will be evaluated with the cold-pressor test paradigm by assessing changes obtained in mechanical and thermal stimuli. The association of each group of variables on CPM will be analysed with multivariate analyses (OMNIBUS analysis of variance). A network model will also be created to identify those variables showing the greatest key measure of centrality with the rest of the severity…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a clinical trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 90 participants or records.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free