Investigation of Emotion Regulation Skills in Migraine Patients Using Electroencephalography (EEG) Method

Abstract

Emotion regulation is essential for maintaining daily functioning. Previous studies indicate that individuals with migraine have difficulty identifying emotions and exhibit higher alexithymia scores. The P300 and N400 components, associated with attention and semantic processes, provide insights into neural changes during emotion regulation. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between migraine and emotion regulation by evaluating the P300 and N400 responses obtained during emotion regulation tasks. Participants included individuals with and without a migraine diagnosis. They were shown negative and neutral photographs, followed by instructions to enhance, suppress, or maintain their emotional responses. Afterward, they were asked to evaluate negative or neutral words. During EEG recording, event-related potentials were analyzed, focusing on the P300 and N400 components. P300 responses were recorded from the P3, P4, and Pz electrodes, while N400 responses were collected from FC1, FC2, and Cz electrodes. The migraine group generated a higher P300 response to neutral words compared to the control group. However, for negative words, the control group exhibited a higher P300 response than the migraineurs. According to the data from the FC1 channel, the migraine group produced a higher N400 response to negative words compared to the control group. In the FC2 channel, the migraine group showed a higher N400 response to neutral words than the control group. Although the effect of command did not differ between groups, the migraineurs showed inefficient attention allocation to negative stimuli and alterations in semantic processing of the emotional words depending on the electrode location.