Cognitive Impairment in Primary and Secondary Headache Disorders

Purpose of Review To critically evaluate the recent literature on cognitive impairment and headache. Recent Findings Neurocognitive symptoms are prevalent, debilitating, and occur often with both primary and secondary headache disorders. This is a narrative review of the current literature in PubMed on cognitive function and headache. Migraine is associated with cognitive impairment years before a migraine diagnosis. In young and middle-aged adults, migraine is associated with deficits in attention, executive function, processing speed, and memory. It is unlikely that migraine is associated with dementia. Although methodologically difficult to assess, there does not seem to be an association between tension-type headache and cognitive dysfunction. In early to midlife, cluster headache seems to be associated with executive dysfunction. Several secondary headache syndromes relevant to clinicians managing headache disorders are associated with poorer cognitive performance or distinctive cognitive patterns, including those attributed to chronic cerebral or systemic vascular disorders, trauma, and derangements of intracranial pressure and volume, including frontotemporal brain sagging syndrome.

Automated summary

This article reviews the recent literature on cognitive impairment and headache. Migraine is associated with deficits in attention, executive function, processing speed, and memory, but not with dementia. Tension-type headache does not seem to be associated with cognitive dysfunction. Cluster headache in early to midlife may be associated with executive dysfunction. Several secondary headache syndromes are related to poorer cognitive performance or distinctive cognitive patterns.