Posted Sun 17th May 2015
Recent studies further suggest that Migraine pain is a consequence of changes in Brain activity.
A study using Brain Scans BEFORE the onset of a Migraine demonstrated changes underway in activity in the hypothalamus could affect sleep and mood (ie: Cluster Headaches) Changes in the Visual Cortex could be the mechanism for visual changes; and the Medulla and Brainstem were more active in patients experiencing nausea. The study was presented by Dr Goadsby earlier this year, with the key focus of the study being the brain function changes leading to the symptoms like pain.(not vice versa)
The research provides valuable insight into the mechanisms (pathophysiology) of Migraine but also raises further questions such as “what triggers the brain activity changes”? Is it really a disorder of the Brain or the Brains response to certain stimuli or irritants?
Further reading: http://www.brainandspinesurgerycenter.com/migraine-a-brain-disorder/
Peter Goadsby, M.B. B.S.
Neurologist and headache specialist
ABOUT: Dr. Peter Goadsby, a neurologist, specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of headache disorders, including migraines and cluster headache and other forms of chronic daily headache. He is director of the UCSF Headache Center and one of the world’s leading headache experts and researchers.
Goadsby came to UCSF from the Institute of Neurology at University College London, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London, England. His research focuses on the mechanisms and management of head pain, with a special interest in migraine and trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias. His studies aim to understand the parts of the brain involved in headache and from this to derive new approaches to treatment. He earned a medical degree at the University of New South Wales School of Medicine, completed a residency in neurology at the Prince of Wales Hospital and completed a fellowship in neurology at the National Hospital for Nervous and Mental Diseases in London. He completed post-doctoral work in laboratories in New York and Paris.
– See more at: http://headache.com.au/feature-story-archive/246-migraine-research-too-much-focus-on-qpainq.html#sthash.ync2XPx5.dpuf
