Migraine with aura breakthrough
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 migraine.
Sodium channels are like traffic tunnels between your neurons. Each cell has a 'gate' that allows the flow of sodium in the cell, which is necessary for the generation of the electrical current that allows your cells to "talk" to one another. Normally these 'gates' are closed and open only very briefly to allow the sodium flow. This is how the electricity is generated between the neurons in our brains and bodies.
The gate opens, sodium passes between the cells and the electricity is generated. This generated electricity is how the nerve cells 'talk' to each other.
Genetic defects were found that altered how these 'gates' functioned in epilepsy and Migraine. Different defects affected the 'gates' in similar ways, making it act as if it were stuck open. Leaving the 'gate' open is thought to predispose the patient to excess electrical activity, much like sparks over a newspaper. Too many sparks and the paper catches fire. The fire spreads and eventually the entire newspaper is engulfed. Too many improperly or uncontrolled electrical impulses are thought to be the spark that begins the electrical storm in the brain that is aura and Migraine, as well as epilepsy.
Dr. Alfred George Jr. the head of the research team states,
""The dysfunctional channels probably aren't directly causing the headache. They're likely involved in causing cortical spreading depression, which then triggers other events ultimately culminating in the severe headache."
Remember, headache is only one phase of a Migraine attack, and may not be present in all attacks.
Even though this research was done on FHM, the team suggests that this channel may be defective in other types of migraine as well. This also would correlate with the potential that Migraine is linked in some way to epilepsy, another genetic disorder that results in an electrical storm in the brain. The discovery of the genes and the way they change the body positively link the two together.
Sources: Red Orbit June 3, 2008 and Science Daily July 3, 2008
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 migraine.
Sodium channels are like traffic tunnels between your neurons. Each cell has a 'gate' that allows the flow of sodium in the cell, which is necessary for the generation of the electrical current that allows your cells to "talk" to one another. Normally these 'gates' are closed and open only very briefly to allow the sodium flow. This is how the electricity is generated between the neurons in our brains and bodies.
The gate opens, sodium passes between the cells and the electricity is generated. This generated electricity is how the nerve cells 'talk' to each other.
Genetic defects were found that altered how these 'gates' functioned in epilepsy and Migraine. Different defects affected the 'gates' in similar ways, making it act as if it were stuck open. Leaving the 'gate' open is thought to predispose the patient to excess electrical activity, much like sparks over a newspaper. Too many sparks and the paper catches fire. The fire spreads and eventually the entire newspaper is engulfed. Too many improperly or uncontrolled electrical impulses are thought to be the spark that begins the electrical storm in the brain that is aura and Migraine, as well as epilepsy.
Dr. Alfred George Jr. the head of the research team states,
""The dysfunctional channels probably aren't directly causing the headache. They're likely involved in causing cortical spreading depression, which then triggers other events ultimately culminating in the severe headache."
Remember, headache is only one phase of a Migraine attack, and may not be present in all attacks.
Even though this research was done on FHM, the team suggests that this channel may be defective in other types of migraine as well. This also would correlate with the potential that Migraine is linked in some way to epilepsy, another genetic disorder that results in an electrical storm in the brain. The discovery of the genes and the way they change the body positively link the two together.
Sources: Red Orbit June 3, 2008 and Science Daily July 3, 2008
Tags: attack, aura, breakthrough, epilepsy, headache, migraine, neurons, sodium channel ion
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