Pain, affective life and memory impairment: Study on 26 headache patients

Memory impairment is one of the most frequent disturbances observed in headache patients. Previous works reported the incidence of psychological disturbances in headache patients, but none suggested the possibility of associated memory dysfunctions. Gori-Savellini reported a memory level decrease during intercritical headache periods. The goal of the present work was to assess in headache patients the evidence of an impairment in short-term or long-term memory, and to study the memory components. Personality traits and health status have also been investigated.