Scientists from the University of Southern California have observed, for the first time, concretely the effect of migraine on the brain. The new discovery is thought to shed light on the origin of migraine.
Migraines can affect life negatively by causing severe headaches, nausea and sensitivity to light. While there is still no 100% effective treatment against migraine, there has been a very important development today.
Scientists from the University of Southern California have detected the change in the brain of people with migraine for the first time. In people with chronic and episodic migraine without aura, microscopic size of the brain region called ‘centrum semiovale’ enlarged perivascular spaces observed.
The change observed in the brain of people with migraine:
- A: MRI of the person with migraine, B: MRI of the person without migraine
The new discovery will offer important insights into how migraine occurs:
The area, defined as the perivascular space, consists of fluid spaces surrounding blood vessels in the brain. These gaps are particularly prominent in the blood-brain barrier. from conditions such as abnormalities and inflammation is affected.
The discovery that there is an abnormal condition in this space in people with migraine is therefore of great importance. Wilson Xu, who was at the beginning of the study, stated that this gap may offer answers about the origin of migraine. states.
Scientists are focused on unraveling the relationship between migraine and the perivascular space. Although a clear answer has not yet been reached on this issue, there is a hypothesis.
According to this hypothesis, the fact that the perivascular space is larger in people with migraine without disruption of the glymphatic It may be due. The glymphatic system uses the perivascular channels to help eliminate soluble proteins and metabolites from the central nervous system, a kind of waste cleaning system works as.
Scientists are sharing the results they have achieved with the new discovery. next week they will share.