What causes migraine?
UNIVERSITY PARK – Imagine you are talking to a coworker when your vision blurs, and spots of light appear on the periphery. Feeling nauseated, you try to continue the conversation, but you’re having trouble remembering the words for things. Twenty minutes later you retreat home to bed, your head filled with a painful throbbing that magnifies every sound and makes light unbearable. This is a migraine, and it is no ordinary headache. But luckily, according to Stephen Ross, associate professor of neurology at Penn State’s College of Medicine, “We know a lot about what causes it. This is not a black hole.” The short explanation, says Ross, is that migraines are caused by a hereditary tendency for nerve cells to overreact to normal stimuli. “Your brain is normal,” he explains, “Your nerves are normal. It’s their reaction that’s abnormal.” For migraine sufferers, the cortex, or upper surface of the brain, becomes overly sensitive to changes in the environment. These can include changes in th
By Alexa Stevenson Research/Penn State Imagine you are talking to a coworker when your vision blurs, and spots of light appear on the periphery. Feeling nauseated, you try to continue the conversation, but you’re having trouble remembering the words for things. Twenty minutes later you retreat home to bed, your head filled with a painful throbbing that magnifies every sound and makes light unbearable. This is a migraine, and it is no ordinary headache. But luckily, according to Stephen Ross, associate professor of neurology at Penn State’s College of Medicine, “We know a lot about what causes it. This is not a black hole.” The short explanation, says Ross, is that migraines are caused by a hereditary tendency for nerve cells to overreact to normal stimuli. “Your brain is normal,” he explains, “Your nerves are normal. It’s their reaction that’s abnormal.” For migraine sufferers, the cortex, or upper surface of the brain, becomes overly sensitive to changes in the environment. These can
Imagine you are talking to a coworker when your vision blurs, and spots of light appear on the periphery. Feeling nauseated, you try to continue the conversation, but you’re having trouble remembering the words for things. Twenty minutes later you retreat home to bed, your head filled with a painful throbbing that magnifies every sound and makes light unbearable. This is a migraine, and it is no ordinary headache. But luckily, according to Stephen Ross, associate professor of neurology at Penn State’s College of Medicine, “We know a lot about what causes it. This is not a black hole.” The short explanation, says Ross, is that migraines are caused by a hereditary tendency for nerve cells to overreact to normal stimuli. “Your brain is normal,” he explains, “Your nerves are normal. It’s their reaction that’s abnormal.” For migraine sufferers, the cortex, or upper surface of the brain, becomes overly sensitive to changes in the environment. These can include changes in the body’s internal
Research scientists are unclear about the precise cause of migraine headaches. There seems to be general agreement, however, that a key element is blood flow changes in the brain. People who get migraine headaches appear to have blood vessels that overreact to various triggers. Scientists have devised one theory of migraine which explains these blood flow changes and also certain biochemical changes that may be involved in the headache process. According to this theory, the nervous system responds to a trigger such as stress by causing a spasm of the nerve-rich arteries at the base of the brain. The spasm closes down or constricts several arteries supplying blood to the brain, including the scalp artery and the carotid or neck arteries. As these arteries constrict, the flow of blood to the brain is reduced. At the same time, blood-clotting particles called platelets clump together-a process which is believed to release a chemical called serotonin. Serotonin acts as a powerful constrict
This is a migraine, and it is no ordinary headache. But luckily, according to Stephen Ross, associate professor of neurology at Penn States College of Medicine, We know a lot about what causes it. This is not a black hole. The short explanation, says Ross, is that migraines are caused by a hereditary tendency for nerve cells to overreact to normal stimuli. Your brain is normal, he explains, Your nerves are normal. Its their reaction thats abnormal. For migraine sufferers, the cortex, or upper surface of the brain, becomes overly sensitive to changes in the environment. These can include changes in the bodys internal condition, such as those caused by stress, hormones or food (caffeine, chocolate and alcohol are common culprits), as well as external changes like hot weather, or the drop in atmospheric pressure before a storm. Overreacting nerves cause dilation of blood vessels and inflammation, and according to Ross, This overreaction works with the lower parts of the brain, the brain s
