Most of the time when we think about migraines we think of adults, but doctors say that migraines often go misdiagnosed in children. Pediatric neurologists say migraines in children are actually quite common. Studies show migraines occur in 5 percent of children under 10 and in 10 percent of teens and preteens.

A recent article in Medical News Today announces that patients who suffer from migraines have reduced cortical thickness and surface area in pain-processing regions of the brain, compared to individuals who never have migraines. 

Italian researchers explained int he journal Radiology that brain abnormalities in migraine sufferers may be either present at birth, or develop overtime. 

Some are now saying that migraines in children can in some way be linked to behavior disorders.  One study on children and migraines, published in the journal Cephalagia and involving 1,856 kids from ages 5-11, found that children with migraine headaches had a significantly higher risk for behavior disorders. The finding is in line with results from previous studies showing that children with migraines have a higher risk for depressive disorders, anxiety, and behaviors such as hyperactivity and attention problems.

Behavior problems could be a trigger for migraine attacks in children, or they could be a result of migraines. "It is hard to tease out the link between problems like depression and hyperactivity from migraine because all these conditions are common in children," says Andrew D. Hershey, MD, PhD, associate director of neurology research and professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in Ohio. "Both behavior problems and headaches need to be checked out. The most important thing is to realize that children do get migraines. In fact, migraines are one of the top five childhood disorders, even more common than childhood asthma."