All Blog Posts Tagged 'aura' (8)

A Danish study was just released in the journal The Lancet Neurology that showed the drug Tonabersat was effective in preventing the aura portion of a Migraine attack. This was part of the phase II clinical (patient) trials on its use in Migraine. The drug is the first in a brand new selective class of drugs called… Continue

Do you know that feeling you get when you can't remember the name of an old teacher, or put a name to the face of a person walking toward you? Some people struggle with that feeling with every word they attempt to speak. For a rare few, Migraine aura can result in the debilitating inability to communicate. Fortunately for Migraineurs, it is usually not permanent unless damage occurs. For others that have suffered stroke or other brain injuries or damage, Aphasia is a new way of life for them an… Continue

Researchers tell us they have found another clue to Migraine and aura. This time linking the neurotransmitter Glutamate to a specific type of Migraine called Familial Hemiplegic Migraine (FHM). Not everyone has FHM, but it's possible that this information may cross over to other types of Migraine, or at least add to our library of knowledge useful to all Migraineurs. (Every little bit helps....) This is how it works: Neurotransmitters are chemicals that help our brain cells communicate,… Continue

Aphasia - neurologic difficulty processing language, either given or received. Migraine aura is shocking when it takes a visual form. It is strange indeed when aura results in symptoms of the other senses - touch, sound, taste, smell. Alice in Wonderland Syndrome describes the strange sensation of other-worldliness that is experienced by some people. Now, imagine the shock of suddenly losing the ability to speak or understand language. There are three basic types and of aphasia. If it comes an… Continue

A recent study published in the journal Neurology is getting a lot of media attention, but a personal experience made me wonder whether researchers and the media might have missed an important connection. The study attempted to link migraine disease to an increased risk for thromboembolism (blood clot in a vessel) and… Continue

Success in the search for the biological cause of Migraine! Scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center studying inherited Migraine, specifically Familial Hemiplegic Migraine (FHM), say their findings have found "cellular events" that prompt Migraine aura, and suggest to them that medications which target sodium channels might potentially be a new treatment avenue for some forms of migra… Continue

Migraine chronic pain guage: 1-3 = want specific meds to help my headache. 4-7 = Please give me whatever you have to help my headache, and soon. 8-10 = I will dance at the top of a hill waving a rubber chicken at a full moon if you tell me that will help, just tell me something useful. Today is a rubber chicken day for me. In my meanderings today, I was sorry to find that it's also a rubber chicken day for a lot of other Migraineurs out there. Maybe it's the weather. One of us i… Continue

Ever vacationed with high hopes of a migraine-free trip only to have them dashed when an attack strikes, left alone in a dark hotel room while the family goes on without you? Ever spent vacations at home, afraid to go anywhere in case you were hit while away? You might want to read my story: A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I departed for Orlando, Florida-- bound for a week of seminars (for him) and cheerful sunshine and much-needed relaxation for me, and the chance to mark something off m… Continue