Do you suffer from migraines? Shocking new scans show how they affect your brain
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We’ve all had the odd headache in our lives. For some of us, they’re so severe that they force us to stay in bed all day until they eventually pass. Others are more manageable and we can still go about our everyday lives, albeit with a bit of pain relief.
But for those who suffer from migraines, the pain might be a whole different story.
If you suffer from migraines, then you know all too well how debilitating and frustrating they can be. Not only do they cause severe pain, but they can also lead to nausea, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction.
According to research, it’s estimated that around 4.9 million people in Australia suffer from migraines – with 71 per cent of sufferers being women and 86 per cent being of working age. Of those affected, 7.6 per cent are chronic sufferers who experience pain at least 15 days a month.
They also take a toll on Australia’s economy – around $35.7 billion dollars. This consists of more than $14 billion in health system costs, $16.3 billion in productivity costs (due to missed work days), and more than $5 million in other costs.
Up until now, no one knows exactly what causes migraines, and experts have tried for years to shed light on this condition. However, researchers may finally have a way to help bring relief to the affected population.
MRI images were taken of people who suffered from migraines, and these brain scans revealed that they have enlarged fluid-filled spaces surrounding blood vessels in the central parts of their brains.
Wilson Xu, a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and co-author of the study revealed that seeing the relationship between these fluid-filled spaces (or perivascular spaces) in certain regions of the white matter in the brain could mean there’s a connection between migraines and the brain’s waste-clearance system.
‘We think that when a migraine happens, it could cause these changes, and these changes could lead to some of the symptoms and things that we experience when we have a migraine,’ he explained.
He said that scientists were unsure of the exact relationship, but that it could also involve the blood flow in the brain.
In the image below, released by researchers, the brain scan on the left shows the ‘fluid-filled spaces’ in a person’s brain suffering from migraines. On the right is a brain scan of a person who doesn’t suffer from the illness.
The perivascular channels are part of the glymphatic system, also known as the brain’s waste-emptying process.
Mr Xu hoped that the results of their study could help future researchers develop larger-scale studies to investigate what causes migraines.
‘Eventually, this could help us develop new, personalised ways to diagnose and treat migraines.’
There you have it, folks! If you suffer from migraines, we hope this helped shed some light on the topic!
But for those who suffer from migraines, the pain might be a whole different story.
If you suffer from migraines, then you know all too well how debilitating and frustrating they can be. Not only do they cause severe pain, but they can also lead to nausea, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction.
According to research, it’s estimated that around 4.9 million people in Australia suffer from migraines – with 71 per cent of sufferers being women and 86 per cent being of working age. Of those affected, 7.6 per cent are chronic sufferers who experience pain at least 15 days a month.
They also take a toll on Australia’s economy – around $35.7 billion dollars. This consists of more than $14 billion in health system costs, $16.3 billion in productivity costs (due to missed work days), and more than $5 million in other costs.
The direct and indirect costs of migraines take a large toll on the economy. Credit: Dominika Roseclay/Pexels
Up until now, no one knows exactly what causes migraines, and experts have tried for years to shed light on this condition. However, researchers may finally have a way to help bring relief to the affected population.
MRI images were taken of people who suffered from migraines, and these brain scans revealed that they have enlarged fluid-filled spaces surrounding blood vessels in the central parts of their brains.
Wilson Xu, a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and co-author of the study revealed that seeing the relationship between these fluid-filled spaces (or perivascular spaces) in certain regions of the white matter in the brain could mean there’s a connection between migraines and the brain’s waste-clearance system.
‘We think that when a migraine happens, it could cause these changes, and these changes could lead to some of the symptoms and things that we experience when we have a migraine,’ he explained.
He said that scientists were unsure of the exact relationship, but that it could also involve the blood flow in the brain.
In the image below, released by researchers, the brain scan on the left shows the ‘fluid-filled spaces’ in a person’s brain suffering from migraines. On the right is a brain scan of a person who doesn’t suffer from the illness.
The scan on the left shows the brain of a patient who suffers from migraines. Credit: Radiological Society of North America
The perivascular channels are part of the glymphatic system, also known as the brain’s waste-emptying process.
Mr Xu hoped that the results of their study could help future researchers develop larger-scale studies to investigate what causes migraines.
‘Eventually, this could help us develop new, personalised ways to diagnose and treat migraines.’
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