Cognitive Performance in Episodic Cluster Headache.

Background. Cluster headache is one of the most disabling of all headache conditions. Although some studies have investigated the psychological profile of patients with cluster headache, research on its impact on cognitive function in patients with episodic cluster headache outside the cluster bout is scant. Methods. Cross-sectional study to evaluate various aspects of neuropsychological assessment and cognitive function including working memory, selective attention, verbal fluency, and executive function in 40 patients with episodic cluster headache. The patients were compared with 40 age-, gender-, and level of education-matched healthy controls. Results. Episodic cluster headache patients performed significantly worse than healthy controls on all cognitive tests, except for the Interference Score (P= 0.281). They had significantly higher Hospital Anxiety Scale scores (P= 0.002). However, we found no significant association between cognitive performance, anxiety, sleep quality, and disease duration. Conclusions. Patients with episodic cluster headache outside the bout showed worse executive functioning, working memory, language, and selective attention compared with healthy controls, regardless of the duration of disease or sleep quality.