Does migraine headache affect cognitive function in the elderly? Report from the Maastricht Aging Study (MAAS)

The aim of this study was to examine two aspects of cognitive functioning-information processing speed and memory-in both young/middle-aged and older subjects with and without migraine, using data from a large population-based sample. We found that, although age had a large effect on processing speed and memory, migraine did not influence cognitive performance. In addition, there was no significant interaction between age and migraine on processing speed and memory. Our results suggest that, in the general population, migraine does not seriously affect cognitive functioning in young/middle-aged or older adults.