Migraine is usually framed through trigeminovascular pathways and interactions among the brainstem, hypothalamus, and cortex. The cerebellum has received less attention, although human studies place it within circuits that process trigeminal nociception and vestibular signals....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
No actionable change for audiology practice at this time; the review is relevant to understanding dizziness and balance complaints in migraine patients but does not provide guidance that changes audiological assessment or management protocols.
Understanding cerebellar involvement in migraine could help audiologists and vestibular specialists better interpret balance and dizziness symptoms in patients who present with both migraine and audiovestibular complaints.
- 01Narrative review in Frontiers in Neurology synthesises anatomical, imaging, and clinical evidence for cerebellar involvement in migraine.
- 02Challenges the conventional view that migraine pathophysiology is limited to trigeminovascular and brainstem mechanisms.
- 03Cerebellar dysfunction may help explain vestibular migraine symptoms such as dizziness and balance disturbance.
- 04Review design means findings are hypothesis-generating rather than confirmatory.
- 05Has potential indirect relevance for audiologists managing patients with vestibular migraine.
The cerebellum plays a role in migraine pathophysiology beyond established trigeminovascular and brainstem mechanisms.
studypartially supportedAnatomical, imaging, and clinical evidence collectively supports cerebellar involvement in migraine.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42898357
- DOI
- 10.3389/fneur.2026.1877070.
- Journal
- Frontiers in Neurology
- Publication type
- review
- Evidence level
- 5
- Population
- Narrative synthesis of published anatomical, neuroimaging, and clinical studies in migraine patients
- Intervention
- Narrative review of cerebellar involvement in migraine pathophysiology
Primary outcomes
Anatomical evidence for cerebellar role in migraine; Neuroimaging findings implicating the cerebellum in migraine; Clinical evidence linking cerebellar dysfunction to migraine presentation