Migraine
Table of Contents (click to jump to sections)
What is Migraine?Is there any treatment?What is the prognosis?What research is being done?Organizations
Additional resources from MEDLINEplus
What is Migraine?
The pain of a migraine headache is often described as an intense pulsing or throbbing pain in one area of the head. It is
often accompanied by extreme sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, and vomiting. Migraine is three times more common in
women than in men. Some individuals can predict the onset of a migraine because it is preceded by an "aura," visual disturbances
that appear as flashing lights, zig-zag lines or a temporary loss of vision. People with migraine tend to have recurring attacks
triggered by a lack of food or sleep, exposure to light, or hormonal irregularities (only in women). Anxiety, stress, or relaxation
after stress can also be triggers. For many years, scientists believed that migraines were linked to the dilation and constriction
of blood vessels in the head. Investigators now believe that migraine is caused by inherited abnormalities in genes that control
the activities of certain cell populations in the brain.
Is there any treatment?
There are two ways to approach the treatment of migraine headache with drugs: prevent the attacks, or relieve the symptoms
during the attacks. Many people with migraine use both approaches by taking medications originally developed for epilepsy
and depression to prevent future attacks, and treating attacks when they happen with drugs called triptans that relieve pain
and restore function. Hormone therapy may help some women whose migraines seem to be linked to their menstrual cycle. Stress
management strategies, such as exercise, relaxation, biofeedback, and other therapies designed to help limit discomfort, may
also reduce the occurrence and severity of migraine attacks.
What is the prognosis?
Taking a combination of drugs to prevent and treat migraine attacks when they happen helps most people with migraine to limit
the disabling effects of these headaches. Women whose migraine attacks occur in association with their menstrual cycle are
likely to have fewer attacks and milder symptoms after menopause.
What research is being done?
Researchers believe that migraine is the result of fundamental neurological abnormalities caused by genetic mutations at work
in the brain. Investigations of the more rare, familial subtypes of migraine are yielding information about specific genes
and what they do, or don't do, to cause the pain of migraine headache. Understanding the cascade of biological events that
happen in the brain to cause a migraine, and the mechanisms that underlie these events, will give researchers opportunities
to develop and test drugs that could prevent or interrupt a migraine attack.
Select this link
to view a list of studies currently seeking patients.
Organizations
Prepared by:
Office of Communications and Public Liaison
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD 20892
NINDS health-related material is provided for information purposes only and does not necessarily represent endorsement by
or an official position of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke or any other Federal agency. Advice
on the treatment or care of an individual patient should be obtained through consultation with a physician who has examined
that patient or is familiar with that patient's medical history.
All NINDS-prepared information is in the public domain and may be freely copied. Credit to the NINDS or the NIH is appreciated.
Return to top
Last updated July 20, 2007
