the cause of migraines has been discovered
A new study has shown that a specific mechanism by which proteins are transported from the brain to a specific set of sensory nerves triggers migraine attacks.
About one in 10 people worldwide suffer from migraines. A quarter of patients experience a sensory disturbance such as an “aura,” which is characterized by flashes of light, blind spots, tingling sensations and double vision and can appear five to 60 minutes before the headache.
The new discovery may pave the way for new treatments for migraines and other types of headaches.
Migraine is a common type of headache that causes severe headache attacks, with a pulsating sensation in the head, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light. It may also impede the ability to move and cause the inability to get out of bed for hours on end.
Despite how common migraines are, scientists understand little about what causes them and there is no effective treatment.
But researchers have found that distinct proteins are created during migraines with an aura that escape the brain through microscopic openings and cause intense pain.
A wave of brain activity inhibition is known to cause migraines, but the exact mechanism has remained elusive.
The new study, published in the journal Science, explains how fluid flow in the brain and a spreading wave of signal disruption trigger migraines and trigger auras.
“These findings provide us with a set of new targets for suppressing sensory nerve activation to prevent and treat migraine and enhance current treatments,” said study co-author Maiken Nedergaard.
According to the Independent, scientists have learned that an “aura” occurs when there is a decrease in oxygen levels and poor blood flow in a part of the brain.
This occurs when brain cells are temporarily depolarized due to the diffusion of charged molecules such as glutamate and potassium.
This disturbance can radiate like a wave, and when it affects the vision processing center in the brain it causes visual symptoms such as an aura that precedes an oncoming headache.
The researchers found a new pathway through which these signals travel. They hope that their discovery of how nerves are activated in this pathway will lead to new drug targets.
“Among the molecules that were identified were those already associated with migraine, but we did not know exactly how and where the migraine-inducing action occurred,” said Martin Kaj Rasmussen, co-author of the study.
The team hopes that the newly identified potential drug targets will benefit the large number of patients who do not respond to available migraine treatments.
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