Understanding Migraines: Current Theories and Research

Migraines are terribly debilitating, yet researchers are still not sure what causes migraines. They have come up with several theories, however, that might someday be proven.

Vascular

• The Vascular theory posits that migraines are caused by constrictions in the blood vessels in the brain. However, this theory cannot explain the visual disturbances, swelling and tenderness experienced by migraine sufferers.

Cortical Spreading Depression

• In the Cortical Spreading Depression theory, the difference in charge between the inside and the outside of plasma membranes vanishes, causing a suppression of the neuronal activity in the brain.

Neurovascular

• According to the Neurovascular hypothesis, the trigeminal nerve stimulates nearby blood vessels which have the ability to generate pain.

Serotonergic Abnormalities

• The Serotonergic Abnormalities theory states that changes in platelet serotonin levels cause a constriction in the blood vessels.

Integrated

• With Ihe integrated theory, glare, stress, the internal clock, noise, and the dilation of arteries trigger different centers of the brain, causing many of the other theories listed above to occur.