Migraines Linked to Thicker Cortex in Human Brain

Millions of people suffer from migraine headaches. They're real, they exists, and people who have never suffered with a migraine think they're 'no big deal.' In a recent press release, researchers announced that they have determined that there are actually differences in parts of their brains when compared to the brains of people who do not suffer from migraines.

Migraines are not imagined, they are an actual neurological disorder. Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital determined that a part of the cortex is thicker in people who suffer from migraines than those who do not have problems with migraines.

In simplest terms, the cortex is the outer layer of the human brain. By using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), it is possible to measure the thickness of the cortex.

This is not the first study that has linked medical issues to the thickness or variations in the cortex or other areas of the brain. The cortex is thinner in other neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis. However, as people learn and receive extensive motor training, it is possible for the cortex to become thicker.

"Repeated migraine attacks may lead to, or be the result of, these structural changes in the brain. Most of these people had been suffering from migraines since childhood, so the long-term overstimulation of the sensory fields in the cortex could explain these changes. It's also possible that people who develop migraines are naturally more sensitive to stimulation," said Nouchine Hadjikhani, MD, of The Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Researchers believe that the sensory mechanisms in the brain are an important part of migraine headaches. It is very common to learn that migraine suffers also have a variety of other pains in their back, jaw, and even developing allodynia.

Allodynia is a painful condition where the skin is extremely sensitive and can feel pain from nearly anything, including seemingly innocent things like clothes touching the body or even a gentle breeze.

This study was conducted on 24 people, half of whom did not suffer from migraine headaches. Researchers found that their brains were physically different. The cortex has many areas, and researchers discovered that the somatosensory cortex area of the brains of migraine suffers was, on average, 21 percent thicker than the participants who did not suffer from migraine headaches.

This study has been published in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, Neurology®. The National Institutes of Health, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine Dean's Award, and the Swiss Heart Foundation provided funding for this research project.

Sources:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-11/aaon-bdf111307.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortex
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allodynia