MIGRAINE SUFFERERS’ BRAINS ARE DIFFERENT!
UCLA scientists make dramatic discovery
PEOPLE plagued by painful migraines display physical changes to their brains not seen in folks who don’t have the debilitating headaches, experts say.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles reviewed high-resolution MRIs from 25 healthy adults between 25 and 60 years of age, who did not have a cognitive impairment, brain tumors, psychological problems or head operations and found the 20 patients suffering migraines had fluid-filled areas surrounding blood vessels in central regions of the brain. Those areas were enlarged in comparison to five people in the control group.
The scientists theorize folks who regularly experience the blinding headaches may have problems with the glymphatic system, a part of the brain responsible for clearing away soluble proteins and waste.
Agonizing migraines affect nearly 37 million Americans and are often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and odors. Before an attack, some patients report sensory disturbances called auras, which can include blind spots, flashes of light and other vision changes or tingling in the face or extremities.
Dr. Wilson Xu, who led the research, explains, “In people with chronic migraines and episodic migraine without aura, there are significant changes in the perivascular spaces of a brain region called the centrum semiovale.
“Perivascular spaces are part of a fluid clearance system in the brain. Studying how they contribute to migraine could help us better understand the complexities of how migraines occur.”