Sang-Hwa Lee

Dietary triggers are frequently linked to migraines. Although some evidence suggests that dietary interventions might offer a new avenue for migraine treatment, the connection between migraine and nutrition remains unclear. In this study, we explored the association between nutritional status and migraines. Clinical data spanning 11 years were sourced from the Smart Clinical Data Warehouse. The nutritional statuses of 6603 migraine patients and 90,509 controls were evaluated using the Controlling Nutrition Status (CONUT) score and the Prognostic Nutrition Index (PNI). The results showed that individuals with mild, moderate, and severe malnutrition were at a substantially higher risk of migraines than those with optimal nutrition, as determined by the CONUT score (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.72, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.63–1.82; aOR: 5.09, 95% CI: 4.44–5.84; aOR: 3.24, 95% CI: 2.29–4.59, p < 0.001). Similarly, moderate (PNI: 35–38) and severe (PNI < 35) malnutrition were associated with heightened migraine prevalence (aOR: 4.80, 95% CI: 3.85–5.99; aOR: 3.92, 95% CI: 3.14–4.89, p < 0.001) compared to those with a healthy nutritional status. These findings indicate that both the CONUT and PNI may be used as predictors of migraine risk and underscore the potential of nutrition-oriented approaches in migraine treatment.

We hypothesized that auditory stimulation could reduce the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and that audiovisual stimulation could have additional effects through multisensory integration. We exposed 12 month old Apoe^{tm1.1(APOE*4)Adiuj} mice (a mouse model of sporadic AD) to auditory (A) or audiovisual stimulation (AV) at 40 Hz for 14 days in a soundproof chamber system (no stimulation, N). Behavioral tests were performed before and after each session, and their brain tissues were assessed for amyloid-beta expression and apoptotic cell death, after 14 days. Furthermore, brain levels of acetylcholine and apoptosis-related proteins were analyzed. In the Y-maze test, the percentage relative alternation was significantly higher in group A than in group N mice. Amyloid-beta and TUNEL positivity in the hippocampal CA3 region was significantly lower in group A and group AV mice than in group N mice (p < 0.05). Acetylcholine levels were significantly higher in group A and group AV mice than in group N mice (p < 0.05). Compared to group N mice, expression of the proapoptotic proteins Bax and caspase-3 was lower in group A, and expression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 was higher in group AV. In a mouse model of early-stage sporadic AD, auditory or audiovisual stimulation improved cognitive performance and neuropathology.

Although the potential relationship between headaches, particularly migraine, and peripheral inflammatory markers (PIMs) has been investigated, it is unclear whether PIMs are involved in the pathogenesis of migraine or can differentiate it from non-migraine headaches (nMHs). Using 10 years of data from the Smart Clinical Data Warehouse, patients who visited the neurology outpatient department (OPD) within 30 days after visiting the emergency room (ER) for headaches were divided into migraine and nMH groups, the PIMs were compared including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte (MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR) ratios, and neutrophil-to-monocyte ratio (NMR). Of the 32,761 patients who visited the ER for headaches, 4005 patients visited the neurology OPD within 30 days. There were significant increases in the NLR, MLR, and NMR, but a lower PLR in the migraine and nMH groups than the controls. The NMR was significantly higher in the migraine than the nMH group. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the ability of the NLR and NMR to differentiate between migraine and nMHs was poor, whereas it was fair between the migraine groups and controls. The elevated PIMs, particularly the NLR and NMR, during headache attacks in migraineurs suggest that inflammation plays a role in migraine and PIMs may be useful for supporting a migraine diagnosis.

Background: The factors affecting cognitive function after treatment of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) can be categorised into aneurysmal factors, procedural factors, and complications. The aim of this study was to investigate which of these factors has greater influence on the cognitive function. Methods: We retrospectively identified 14 patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) and 34 patients with SAH with mild symptoms at disease onset (Hunt and Hess grade: >3). All patients underwent neuropsychological tests within 35 days of discharge from hospitalisation for treatment. The relationship between the clinical factors and each neuropsychological test score was evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis after controlling for age and years of education. Results: Patients with UIA showed greater cognitive impairment in visual memory and the frontal/executive domains. Hypertension was associated with cognitive impairment. Patients with SAH showed greater cognitive impairment in the visuospatial, verbal memory, and frontal/executive domains. The dome-to-neck ratio, aneurysms located in the posterior circulation, microsurgical clipping, procedure time, anaesthesia duration, and complications were associated with cognitive impairment. Conclusions: Underlying diseases, procedural factors, and complications contributed to cognitive impairment after treatment of intracranial aneurysms. Since the effect of each factor on each cognitive domain was slightly different, a more in-depth study of these effects is needed.

The relationship between dementia and surgery remains unclear. Research to elucidate the relationship between them is scarce, and conducting epidemiological research is complicated. This study aimed to investigate the incidence and risk of dementia according to the surgery type. We performed a retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study using nationwide representative cohort sample data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service in South Korea between 2003 and 2004. Incidence rates for dementia were obtained by dividing the number of patients with dementia by person-years at risk. To identify the risk of dementia according to the type of surgery, we investigated the hazard ratio by each surgery type. The incidence rates of dementia in control, musculoskeletal, and two or more surgeries groups were 9.66, 13.47, and 13.36 cases per 1000 person-years, respectively. The risk of dementia in the musculoskeletal and two or more surgeries groups was 1.44-fold higher (95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.22–1.70) and 1.42-fold higher (95% CI, 1.17–1.72) than that in the control group, respectively. Patients who underwent musculoskeletal surgery and two or more surgeries had a higher risk of dementia; however, there was no association with the type of anesthesia administered.

The incidence of dementia in patients with surgery under neuraxial anesthesia and the possibility of surgery under neuraxial anesthesia as a risk factor for dementia were investigated. We performed a retrospective matched cohort study with nationwide, representative cohort sample data of the Korean National Health Insurance Service in South Korea between 1 January 2003, and 31 December 2004. The participants were divided into control (n = 4488) and neuraxial groups (n = 1122) using propensity score matching. After 9 years of follow-up, the corresponding incidences of dementia were 11.5 and 14.8 cases per 1000 person-years. The risk of dementia in the surgery under neuraxial group was 1.44-fold higher (95% confidence interval [95%CI], 1.17–1.76) than that in the control group. In the subgroup analysis of dementia, the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in those who underwent surgery under neuraxial anesthesia was 1.48-fold higher (95%CI, 1.17–1.87) than that in those who did not undergo surgery under anesthesia. Our findings suggest that patients who underwent surgery under neuraxial anesthesia had a higher risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease than those who did not undergo surgery under neuraxial anesthesia.

Headaches, especially migraines, have been associated with various vestibular symptoms and syndromes. Tinnitus and hearing loss have also been reported to be more prevalent among migraineurs. However, whether headaches, including migraine or non-migraine headaches (nMH), are associated with vestibular and cochlear disorders remains unclear. Thus, we sought to investigate possible associations between headache and vestibulocochlear disorders. We analyzed 10 years of data from the Smart Clinical Data Warehouse. In patients with migraines and nMH, meniere’s disease (MD), BPPV, vestibular neuronitis (VN) and cochlear disorders, such as sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and tinnitus, were collected and compared to clinical data from controls who had health check-ups without headache. Participants included 15,128 with migraines, 76,773 patients with nMH and controls were identified based on propensity score matching (PSM). After PSM, the odds ratios (OR) in subjects with migraine versus controls were 2.59 for MD, 2.05 for BPPV, 2.98 for VN, 1.74 for SNHL, and 1.97 for tinnitus, respectively (p < 0.001). The OR for MD (1.77), BPPV (1.73), VN (2.05), SNHL (1.40), and tinnitus (1.70) in patients with nMH was also high after matching (p < 0.001). Our findings suggest that migraines and nMH are associated with an increased risk of cochlear disorders in addition to vestibular disorders.

The association between exposure to general anesthesia (GA) and the risk of dementia is still undetermined. To investigate a possible link to the development of dementia in older people who have undergone GA, we analyzed nationwide representative cohort sample data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service. The study cohort comprised patients over 55 years of age who had undergone GA between January 2003 and December 2004 and consisted of 3100 patients who had undergone GA and 12,400 comparison subjects who had not received anesthesia. After the nine-year follow-up period, we found the overall incidence of dementia was higher in the patients who had undergone GA than in the comparison group (10.5 vs. 8.8 per 1000 person-years), with the risk being greater for women (adjusted HR of 1.44; 95% CI, 1.19–1.75) and those with comorbidities (adjusted HR of 1.39; 95% CI, 1.18–1.64). Patients who underwent GA showed higher risks for Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia (adjusted HR of 1.52; 95% CI, 1.27–1.82 and 1.64; 95% CI, 1.15–2.33, respectively). This longitudinal study using a sample cohort based on a nationwide population sample demonstrated a significant positive association between GA and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

Neuroimaging and neuropsychological investigations have indicated that migraineurs exhibit frontal lobe-related cognitive impairment. We investigated whether orbitofrontal and dorsolateral functioning differed between individuals with episodic migraine (EM) and chronic migraine (CM), focusing on orbitofrontal dysfunction because it is implicated in migraine chronification and medication overuse headache (MOH) in migraineurs. This cross-sectional study recruited women with CM with/without MOH (CM + MOH, CM − MOH), EM, and control participants who were matched in terms of age and education. We conducted neuropsychological assessments of frontal lobe function via the Trail Making Test (TMT) A and B, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). We enrolled 36 CM (19 CM + MOH, 17 CM − MOH), 30 EM, and 30 control participants. The CM patients performed significantly (p < 0.01) worse on the TMT A and B than the EM patients and the control participants. The WCST also revealed significant differences, with poorer performance in the CM patients versus the EM patients and the control participants. However, the net scores on the IGT did not significantly differ among the three groups. Our findings suggest that the CM patients exhibited frontal lobe dysfunction, and, particularly, dorsolateral dysfunction. However, we found no differences in frontal lobe function according to the presence or absence of MOH.