migraine

Migraine

Bandi Goutham

Dept. of Biological Sciences

IISER Bhopal

Introduction

Different types of Headaches

What is Migraine ?• Derived from the Greek word “ hemikranios“ = half head

• A migraine is a common type of headache that may occur with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light. In many people, a throbbing pain is felt only on one side of the head.

• Migraine attacks are characterized by unilateral and pulsating severe headache, lasting 4-72 hours.

What causes migraines?

Some people who suffer from migraines can clearly identify triggers or factors that cause the headaches, but many cannot. Potential migraine triggers include :

• Allergies and allergic reactions

• Bright lights, loud noises, and certain odors or perfumes

• Physical or emotional stress

• Changes in sleep patterns or irregular sleep

• Smoking or exposure to smoke

• Skipping meals or fasting

Triggers do not always cause migraines, and avoiding triggers does not always prevent migraines.

Migraine Symptoms & Stages

Types of Migraine

Migraine with aura (classical migraine)

Migraine without aura (common migraine)

Primary theory of Migraine:

The primary theory is related to increased excitability of the cerebral cortex and abnormal control of pain neurons in the trigeminal nucleus of the brainstem.

Migraine trigger & pain perception

Pathophysiology

• There is dilatation of scalp arteries and large amplitude pulsations during attacks of migraine

• Radioactive xenon cerebral blood flow studies show significantly reduced regional flow through the cortex during the aura stage of migraine with aura.

Migraine trigger & pain perception

Pathways of Migraine

Concluding Remarks

•Neurobiology and patho-physiology of migraine is near to endless.

•Hence I am stopping at this, there are many other models also, but it may be too much.

• Goadsby PJ et al. N Engl J Med. 2002.

• wikipedia

• Daniela Pietrobon* and Jörg Striessnig Peitrobon_Striessning_nrn2003_migraine, nature reviews , neuro scince.

references

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