Migraines are a debilitating illness that can stop the sufferer in its tracks. Unlike other diseases we have talked about thus far in my Neurochemistry class, this is one that I can relate to directly because I suffer from them. It is hard to explain the intense pains and sensations that come with my migraines to other people. In my case, my migraines come on about once every month and leave me helpless for hours at a time. The pain is so severe that sleep doesn’t even come to relieve me. I wouldn’t wish them on my worst enemy.
It is hard to explain ones migraines to other people that have them as well because everyone experiences them differently. People have different symptoms, different things triggering their migraines and the duration of their migraines are not the same. It is these factors that are making the life of scientists that are trying to research migraines difficult along with the fact that they don’t have effective laboratory markers nor animal models to be able to study them extensively. What we do know though is common symptoms of migraines include sensitivity to light and noise, nausea, vomiting and throbbing pain in the head. These painful headaches usually happen to those between the ages of 20 and 50 years old and as of yet there is no official cure for them.
Science does not know exactly what causes migraines but have some insight into them. What they think occurs during a migraine attack is the vasodilation of cerebral blood vessels. It is theorized that this vasodilation occurs in response to the release of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptides (CGRPs), ultimately affecting the trigeminal nerve. CGRPs are produced in the peripheral and central nerves and results from alternative splicing of the calcitonin gene. It has been found that along with CGRPs, other molecules such as serotonin, bradykinin, histamine, and prostaglandin are thought to affect sensory neurons around the trigeminal nerve, causing pain. The trigeminal nerve is the fifth cranial nerve. It is full of sensory neurons and its job is to transmit sensations from the face to the brain. As the name indicates, there are three branches to this nerve and they are the ophthalmic, maxillary and mandibular. The ophthalmic provides sensory innervation to the forehead, upper eyelid, cornea, bridge and tip of nose, the nasal cavity and the front half of the scalp. The maxillary provides sensory innervation to the cheeks, lateral nose, upper lip, upper jaw, the teeth and upper oral cavity. Lastly the mandibular provides sensation to the lower teeth, lower jaw, lower oral cavity and lower face. It is the ophthalmic nerve that researchers believe is the most affected during migraine attacks due to its location being where the largest amount of pain is felt in the majority of these attacks.
As I said before there is not that much that is known about migraines as a whole besides theories and thoughts as to what causes them. There are been research looking into the genetic components but unfortunately there has been nothing found that links migraines together besides those that have familial hemiplegic migraines (FHMs). FHMs are a form of migraine headache that is an autosomal dominant trait that runs in families. The gene mutations that are associated with FHM are CACNA1A (FHM1), ATP1A2 (FHM2) and SCN1A (FHM3). All three of these genes encode for ion channels or an ion pump, suggesting that there is a loss in the balance of ions that could be disrupting the normal release of neurotransmitters in the brain. It is important to reiterate though that FHM is the ONLY type of migraine that has a genetic link that has been found. Researchers are hoping that a better understanding of FHM could lead to a better understanding of common migraines as a whole.
Migraines are crippling to experience and I would not wish them onto anybody. Though there are medications out there that lesson the intensity of migraines once they have already started as well as hopefully prevent them, there is no known treatment that completely cures them. According to the Migraine Research Association over 10% of the US population is affected by migraines. With its high rate of prevalence, and selfishly for my own sake, I hope that further research will be able to someday yield concrete information on this extremely painful illness. Migraines are extremely traumatic and the less one has to suffer from them, the better.
Picture Found At: http://teachmeanatomy.info/wp-content/uploads/Overview-of-the-Anatomical-Distribution-of-the-Trigeminal-Nerve-and-its-Terminal-Branches.png
Additional Resource: http://www.migraineresearchfoundation.org/fact-sheet.html
Migraines: I Wouldn't Wish Them On My Worst Enemy
