Here's a paper I wrote on migraines highlighting the some of the most recent neurological and biochemical discoveries, but written in non-techno-babble ^_^
www.pamcurtis.com/What_is_M...Curtis.doc
Excerpt:
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What Is A Migraine?
Not caused by blood flow changes
In this article we’re going to look at what happens when a migraine occurs. We’re going to focus our observations based on how the migraine affects the neurological and chemical systems of the body. Neurologically, we’re going to look at the brain and nervous system. Chemically we’re going to look at neurotransmitters (the chemicals that carry messages through the brain), hormones, and the chemicals that make up the nerves themselves. Together, the changes in these systems combine to make up the event that is experienced as a migraine.
New studies show that neurological changes are responsible for the generation of migraines and that these changes are also behind the mechanisms of migraine, including vasodilatation . This is a huge breakthrough, because as far back as the 17th century it was believed that changes is blood flow were responsible for generation of migraine and the resulting neurological effects, not the other way around. This outdated theory is known as the vascular theory of migraine generation. Most doctors and nurses currently practicing were taught the vascular theory of migraines.
Much of the documentation made available to the public still explains migraines using the vascular theory, and much of the documentation on the neurological basis of migraines is restricted to scientific articles and medical journals. They are not written for the general public and can be very difficult to understand without advanced education in the field. Though authors of books and articles written in the last twenty years should know about the neurological theory of migraines, the theory was widely debated until discoveries made in the last few years. We now know that neurological changes are behind all the mechanisms of migraine, from aura to vasodilatation to pain. Though there are still many discoveries to be made, we are now pointed in the right direction to make these discoveries.
To start, there are many mechanisms to migraine and not all of them are fully understood. In this article, I will give you a comprehensive view of exactly what is thought to be going on in the body of a migraineur, for indeed, it’s not just the head of a migraineur that is affected, and indeed it is not just during the headache that migraine mechanisms are active. I’ll be taking you deep into the brain to the trigeminal nerve: the nerve that processes all sensory input and connects the brain stem to the nerves of the head and face. I’ll be discussing many brain chemicals—neurochemicals—used by the brain and nervous system. We’ll look at the strange phenomenon of Cortical Spreading Depression (CSD), once though to be the key behind visual auras, and now known to be part of migraine pain as well.
The brain of a migraineur is different than that of other people. Even when not in the headache phase, there are chemical imbalances in neurotransmitters such as Substance P, dopamine, serotonin, and magnesium, to name a few. The average concentration of Substance P in migraineurs is nearly double that of controls. The average concentration of serotonin, which is depleted during a migraine attack, was about 25% lower than controls during non-migraine phases. And when given nitroglycerine, a vasodilator used by some heart patients, “a delayed migraine-like headache [resulted] in migraine patients but not in control patients.”
I’ll talk about some of the symptoms that go along with the different phases of migraine, although the list I provide will be no where near complete. Just as each migraine may manifest in different ways, so is each migraineur and their experience of symptoms different. Hopefully the information I provide will give to you what it has given to me: insight into my own condition and several realizations as to, ‘Oh! That’s why that happens!’ And while it may not take the pain away, knowing that I’m not alone in my symptoms and that I’m not imagining things has been a great comfort.
www.pamcurtis.com/What_is_M...Curtis.doc
Excerpt:
======
What Is A Migraine?
Not caused by blood flow changes
In this article we’re going to look at what happens when a migraine occurs. We’re going to focus our observations based on how the migraine affects the neurological and chemical systems of the body. Neurologically, we’re going to look at the brain and nervous system. Chemically we’re going to look at neurotransmitters (the chemicals that carry messages through the brain), hormones, and the chemicals that make up the nerves themselves. Together, the changes in these systems combine to make up the event that is experienced as a migraine.
New studies show that neurological changes are responsible for the generation of migraines and that these changes are also behind the mechanisms of migraine, including vasodilatation . This is a huge breakthrough, because as far back as the 17th century it was believed that changes is blood flow were responsible for generation of migraine and the resulting neurological effects, not the other way around. This outdated theory is known as the vascular theory of migraine generation. Most doctors and nurses currently practicing were taught the vascular theory of migraines.
Much of the documentation made available to the public still explains migraines using the vascular theory, and much of the documentation on the neurological basis of migraines is restricted to scientific articles and medical journals. They are not written for the general public and can be very difficult to understand without advanced education in the field. Though authors of books and articles written in the last twenty years should know about the neurological theory of migraines, the theory was widely debated until discoveries made in the last few years. We now know that neurological changes are behind all the mechanisms of migraine, from aura to vasodilatation to pain. Though there are still many discoveries to be made, we are now pointed in the right direction to make these discoveries.
To start, there are many mechanisms to migraine and not all of them are fully understood. In this article, I will give you a comprehensive view of exactly what is thought to be going on in the body of a migraineur, for indeed, it’s not just the head of a migraineur that is affected, and indeed it is not just during the headache that migraine mechanisms are active. I’ll be taking you deep into the brain to the trigeminal nerve: the nerve that processes all sensory input and connects the brain stem to the nerves of the head and face. I’ll be discussing many brain chemicals—neurochemicals—used by the brain and nervous system. We’ll look at the strange phenomenon of Cortical Spreading Depression (CSD), once though to be the key behind visual auras, and now known to be part of migraine pain as well.
The brain of a migraineur is different than that of other people. Even when not in the headache phase, there are chemical imbalances in neurotransmitters such as Substance P, dopamine, serotonin, and magnesium, to name a few. The average concentration of Substance P in migraineurs is nearly double that of controls. The average concentration of serotonin, which is depleted during a migraine attack, was about 25% lower than controls during non-migraine phases. And when given nitroglycerine, a vasodilator used by some heart patients, “a delayed migraine-like headache [resulted] in migraine patients but not in control patients.”
I’ll talk about some of the symptoms that go along with the different phases of migraine, although the list I provide will be no where near complete. Just as each migraine may manifest in different ways, so is each migraineur and their experience of symptoms different. Hopefully the information I provide will give to you what it has given to me: insight into my own condition and several realizations as to, ‘Oh! That’s why that happens!’ And while it may not take the pain away, knowing that I’m not alone in my symptoms and that I’m not imagining things has been a great comfort.
posted by:
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Seattle
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Why migraine episodes resolve themselves
Sat, January 20, 2007 - 1:27 PMI'm reading your paper. You should post your paper on the Migraine Theory Tribe. The Migraine Tribe is for people who seek support and commiseration. If you start talking facts, science, and reasoning on the Migraine Tribe, you're liable to get everyone riled up, and they'll denounce you to the local Communist Party chair.
You ask some good questions that most authors don't ask. For example: what causes a migraine episode to stop (to resolve itself spontaneously, even when not treated)?
Here's my question: like migraine episodes, caffeine withdrawal headache episodes spontaneously resolve themselves. What causes a caffeine withdrawal headache to stop (to resolve itself spontaneously even when not treated)?
It stands to reason that a caffeine withdrawal headache is due to the absence of caffeine, and resolves itself as the nervous system re-adjusts to the absence of caffeine.
Similarly, it may be the absence of factor X causes migraine episodes, and a migraine headache episode resolves itself when the nervous system re-adjusts to the absence of factor X.
The prevailing assumption is that the presence of factor X initiates the migraine episode. If, however, the absence of factor X causes the migraine episode, the spontaneous resolution of migraine episodes is readily explained by nervous adaptation to the absence of factor X.
And we have a model for that mechanism in caffeine withdrawal headache, which closely resembles migraine without aura. (Is indistinguishable from migraine without aura, I would argue.)
The question is: Is the resolution of a migraine headache episode due to a different mechanism than the resolution of a caffeine withdrawal headache episode?
