Dr. James Lance, an Australian Migraine specialist, commented, "I think that they're using a blunt tool that is designed to pick up dementia at one end of the spectrum, not just mild degrees of decline in memory or cognitive ability that we might all experience over the passage of the years. Anyway, I think the good news for Migraine sufferers is there's no evidence that they do have any mental deterioration. I'd be a bit cautious about saying they're going to do better than the rest of the population, but still it's encouraging from that point of view."
Summary
Logic would seem to dictate that a study of this length would be important and carry significant weight. However, it studied just 204 Migraineurs, and as Dr. Lance pointed out, the design of the measurement tool used in this study wasn't designed for this purpose. Still, the results are significant and indicate the need for more research in this area.
Resources:
Press Release: "Does Migraine Protect Your Memory?" American Academy of Neurology. St. Paul. April 23, 2007.
A. Kalaydjian, PhD; P.P. Zandi, PhD; K.L. Swartz, MD; W.W. Eaton, PhD; C. Lyketsos, MD. "How migraines impact cognitive function." NEUROLOGY 2007;68:1417–1424.
Kerin, Lindy. "Female migraine sufferers have better memories: study." The World News Today, ABC Radio. Australia. April 23, 2007
