INTRODUCTION Patients with chronic migraine often report lower cognitive performance, which affects their quality of life. AIMS. To analyse whether the mnemonic capacity of patients with chronic migraine is altered or not.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with chronic migraine evaluated consecutively in our unit, and paired by age (18-60 years) and gender with a control group consisting of cognitively healthy volunteers. The following cognitive instruments were administered: Folstein Minimental State Examination (MMSE), Memory Alteration Test (M@T), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and working memory.

RESULTS A total of 30 patients with chronic migraine were included (mean age: 49.33 ± 10.05 years) paired with a control group of 30 healthy volunteers (mean age: 44.83 ± 10.91 years). The mean elapsed time since onset of the patients with chronic migraine was 4.47 ± 2.74 years. On performing a comparative analysis between the two groups, significant differences were found with overall lower scores in the group of patients with chronic migraine in the MoCA (24.16 versus 29), M@T (43.76 versus 48.8) and working memory tests (17.5 versus 24.26). Performance in the MMSE was similar in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS Patients with chronic migraine can have lower cognitive performance regardless of distracting elements, such as pharmacological factors or psychiatric comorbidity, since chronic migraine can be understood as yet another element within the spectrum of chronic pain.