How do migraines affect the brain

Every 10 seconds, a person in the US visits the emergency room as a result of a headache or migraine. For a disorder that is so common, the researchers stress that it is important to understand the long-term effects a migraine can have on the brain. They add that guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology and the US Headache Consortium suggest that people with migraines who have normal neurological examinations do not need routine MRI scans.

Patients with ILLs should be evaluated for stroke risk factors. Volumetric MRI remains a research tool. Messoud Ashina of the University of Copenhagen and lead study author says that further research is needed to fully determine the link between migraine and long-term brain structure.

We also want to find out how these lesions may influence brain function. This year, a study from italian researchers also found that migraine patients have brain abnormalities, compared with those who do not have the disorder. Other recent research from the University of Pennsylvania suggests that the cause of migraines could be due to the structure of brain arteries that protect the supply of blood to the brain.

Medically Reviewed. What Is a Migraine? Scientific Animations. Alcohol Red wine is a well-known migraine trigger, but other alcoholic drinks can also cause a migraine. Weather changes Even small decreases in barometric pressure can cause a migraine, according to a study published in December in the journal SpringerPlus. Caffeine Both caffeine itself and caffeine withdrawal can trigger a migraine.

Cheese and processed meats Some people are sensitive to tyramine, a product of broken-down proteins in aged foods. Dehydration Not consuming enough liquids causes blood volume to drop, decreasing blood flow to the brain; the loss of electrolytes might also be a culprit. Now many headache researchers realize that changes in blood flow and blood vessels don't initiate the pain, but may contribute to it.

Current thinking regarding migraine pain has moved more toward the source of the problem, as improved technology and research have paved the way for a better understanding.

Today, it is widely understood that chemical compounds and hormones, such as serotonin and estrogen, often play a role in pain sensitivity for migraine sufferers.

One aspect of migraine pain theory explains that migraine pain happens due to waves of activity by groups of excitable brain cells. These trigger chemicals, such as serotonin, to narrow blood vessels. Serotonin is a chemical necessary for communication between nerve cells. They were diagnosed with migraine with and without aura, and of course there were the controls. They had a battery of 10 cognitive tests, including tests of brain function.

There was no correlation with the brain changes and any cognitive dysfunction. Sadly, we all get a little bit less cognitively aware, you might say, with time. What are the common misconceptions in the medical community about the correlation between migraine and brain lesions, and what are you doing to help set the record straight?

Many patients I see are concerned when they have a brain scan or MRI. Well the commonest misconception in the medical community is that these changes are mini strokes. Patients with migraine with aura are at small risk of stroke compared to population controls or patients with migraine without aura. Their risk is one to two per , It goes up to double that. That risk only occurs with females with migraine with aura, and only until the age of Once they get to the age of 45, the risk goes away.

Migraine is an inherited episodic brain disease. It affects our most productive people in their great middle years.