Unlocking Migraine's Secrets

Ivanhoe Newswire
Tuesday, October 17, 2006; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Scientists have found another piece of the puzzle related to migraine headaches. The painful episodes could be linked to thickening in two parts of the brain cortex.

The discovery could help explain why people who suffer from the headaches often report having problems processing visual input -- even in-between attacks.

The investigators found the thickened areas of the brain in people who have migraines with and without an accompanying aura. Auras are described as flashing lights and other visual cues usually preceding the onset of the headache itself.

The thickened areas were identified by using two different types of MRIs, leading the researchers to conclude they might be able to come up with a test to assess people for migraine risk.

"Although our data are experimental and represent the result of a group analysis, the present findings of specific alteration in migraineurs, e.g., cortical thickness increases in specific areas, may open the possibility of a new noninvasive diagnostic tool in migraine," they write.

The investigators note migraine is a widespread problem affecting 15 percent to 25 percent of women and 6 percent to 8 percent of men. In America alone, about 2.5 million people report having at least one of these debilitating headaches every week.

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SOURCE: PLoS Medicine, published online Oct. 16, 2006; full study available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0030402