Respiratory arrest in familial hemiplegic migraine: a clinical and neuropathological study.

We describe a fatal case of familial hemiplegic migraine. A transient respiratory arrest in this patient led to a persistent "vegetative state," culminating in death four months later. Neuropathological findings included deep microinfarcts in the basal ganglia and a remarkable sparing of brain-stem nuclei associated with the function of respiration.