Over the last two decades magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been extensively used to investigate the role of energy metabolism impairment in the physiopathology of migraine. In this paper we review the studies performed on migraine sufferers during headache attacks as well as interictally. Overall there is currently evidence that migraine is associated with a generalised disorder of energy metabolism and that this, in association with other susceptibility factors, may be an important feature that lowers the threshold for triggering migraine attacks.