Understanding Migraines

About one-third of people with migraines experience the aura phase.

A migraine is a complex neurological disorder that can be divided into four different phases.

The four phases of a migraine are the premonitory phase, aura phase, headache phase, and postdrome phase.

This phase can start up to 72 hours before the headache begins, with symptoms including fatigue, light sensitivity, irritability, depression, yawning, food cravings, and neck stiffness.

The hypothalamus is involved in the premonitory phase, which helps maintain homeostasis and may contribute to migraine symptoms.

Potential triggers include emotional stress, hormonal changes, not eating, weather changes, sleep disturbances, certain smells, neck pain, alcohol, bright lights, smoke, certain foods, exercise, and sexual activity.

The aura phase involves reversible neurological symptoms that precede or accompany the headache, including visual disturbances, sensory changes, language difficulties, and motor weakness.

Cortical spreading depression is a wave of neuronal depolarization across the cerebral cortex, which may cause aura symptoms and involves neurons staying depolarized longer than usual.

Auras are reversible neurological symptoms that precede or accompany the headache phase, including visual auras, sensory auras, language disturbances, and motor auras.

The headache phase is characterized by pulsatile throbbing pain, typically one-sided, and may include nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, and smell sensitivity.

The trigeminal nerve gets activated during migraines, explaining the headache's pain and location by sensitizing pain receptors called nociceptors in the duramater.

The trigeminal nerve has three branches: ophthalmic, maxillary, and mandibular, which cover different regions of the face.

Referred pain is when pain signals from the duramater converge with signals from external parts of the head, causing the brain to interpret pain as coming from areas like the forehead or back of the head.

The postdrome phase involves lingering symptoms such as residual pain and sensitization to stimuli like head movement, coughing, or sneezing, typically fading within a day or so.

Pain in these areas is due to referred pain, where pain signals from inside the skull converge with those from external areas of the face.

Cutaneous allodynia is sensitivity to touch where even gentle contact can cause pain, experienced by some during the migraine headache phase.

Language and motor auras during migraines are similar to stroke symptoms but differ in gradual onset compared to the sudden onset of stroke symptoms, necessitating emergency evaluation if unsure.

Sensitization is when sensory nerve fibers become more responsive to stimuli that don't normally cause pain, contributing to lingering migraine symptoms post-headache phase.

About one-third of people with migraines experience the aura phase.

A migraine is a complex neurological disorder that can be divided into four different phases.