Ask the doctor: Can migraines lead to memory loss?
Fortunately, findings from the Women's Health Study are reassuring on this topic. The Women's Health Study is a randomized, prospective study involving 39,876 U.S. female health professionals ages 45 and older. In 1998, a subset of 6,377 women ages 65 and older were tested for memory and reasoning (cognition), and asked about past or current migraine headaches. These women were followed for an average of three and a half years. Those who had migraine were not at greater risk for cognitive decline compared with those who did not have migraine.
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