Researchers “see” the Migraine Storm

Late last week, this video was put on the web showing visual migraine aura and some brain images (thanks to the Migraine Research Foundation for posting it at our Facebook page).  It’s a fascinating video, showing visually some of the things people with migraine may see.

Dr. K.C. Brennan at the University of Utah has been investigating cortical spreading depression (CSD) for some time now.  He uses much of the technology available to us today (such as spectroscopy, two-photon microscopy, etc) to “view” what is happening in the brain during the CSD, which is a key part of the migraine chain-reaction.

One thing that’s not clear in the video report – Dr. Brennan is not showing us the visual aura in the brain, only the CSD.  There is a lot of debate over exactly how, why, even if, the CSD is the direct “cause” of some visual aura in migraine.

On other words, “seeing” a CSD does not tell us that this is exactly where and how migraineurs get visual aura.  However, learning more about this phenomenon is key in understanding the migraine chain-reaction – and hopefully in stopping in.

We should also remember that having this storm go through your brain (CSD) does not mean that you’ll experience visual aura.  Another area of study involves just why two people with CSD in migraine may have very different symptoms.

That being said, on with the video: