Cross-sectional and comparative study of comprehensive neuropsychological profiles in headache using the AIIMS comprehensive neuropsychological battery.

Abstract

Background: Headache presents as a common symptom turned disorder ranging from harmless to life threatening. The inconsistent conclusions across various studies or methodological lacunae have resulted in absence of a unified neuropsychological profile. Thus, the efficacy of establishing a holistic picture of deficits and their rehabilitation in Indian context creates a need for comprehensive investigative tools.

Aim: To explore the impact of headache, on the neuropsychological functioning of individuals using AIIMS Comprehensive Neuropsychological Battery.

Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional and comparative hospital-based study. The sample compared 20 patients with diagnosis of any kind of headache, according to International Classification of Headache Disorders-3 (ICHD-3) criteria with 20 matched healthy controls selected via purposive sampling. Both the groups were subjected to AIIMS Comprehensive Neuropsychological Battery and NEO-Five Factor Inventory-3, and a comprehensive neuropsychological profile was obtained. The profile obtained was further subjected to analysis using the independent samples t-test and product moment correlation using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software (Version 27.0).

Results: The findings indicate no significant impairment in any of the groups for neuropsychological correlates due to all scores being within normal ranges. Higher scores on neuroticism were found in patients with headache, with a higher incidence in females of the clinical group.

Conclusion: The present study underscores neuropsychological deficits as perceived component among the headache population as conducted using a complete battery standardized in the Indian context. A longitudinal approach with greater sample size and randomized sampling might promise better results and generalizability.