[Somnambulism and migraine in children. A non-fortuitous association].

Looking for frequency of somnambulism in 3 homogeneous groups of children, a first group of migrainous children, a second group of epileptic children and a third group of normal children, the authors have observed that an antecedent of somnambulism existed in 28% of migrainous children, when it was found in only 6% of epileptic children, and in 5% of normal children. This significant difference demonstrates that the association of migraine and somnambulism is real. The possibility that migraine and somnambulism appearing in the same patient at different ages might be the expression of a same neurochemical disorder is discussed. The practical interest to know this association is that somnambulism may be a real clinical marker of migrainous background that should be searched for in every patient presenting with chronic cephalalgia.