Tweet
New research is being reported today in many news sources about why the vast majority of people with migraine headaches report photophobia.
I'm linking to the CBC news summary here; however, the actual study comes from Nature Neuroscience.
-- (Personal note: I used to suffer from extreme photophobia during migraine headache episodes, so I know how debilitating it can be. Once the cause of my migraines was found and fixed, I never again experienced photophobia.)
-- This research proposes a causal explanation about why the vast majority of people who have migraine headaches report exquisitely painful reactions to light ( = photophobia).
-- No solution/cure yet, but it may be a hopeful first step toward that goal.
-- It involves a small number of human subjects ( = 20), plus a followup study using rats to measure brain impact of retinal nerve stimulation.
-- For members on this website who report photophobia, from whatever apparent diagnoses or lack thereof, I suspect that this is a line of research worth following in the future.
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/...ine-blind.html
Researchers probe how migraines worsened by light
Last Updated: Monday, January 11, 2010 | 1:07 PM ET
CBC News
Excerpts:
I'm linking to the CBC news summary here; however, the actual study comes from Nature Neuroscience.
-- (Personal note: I used to suffer from extreme photophobia during migraine headache episodes, so I know how debilitating it can be. Once the cause of my migraines was found and fixed, I never again experienced photophobia.)
-- This research proposes a causal explanation about why the vast majority of people who have migraine headaches report exquisitely painful reactions to light ( = photophobia).
-- No solution/cure yet, but it may be a hopeful first step toward that goal.
-- It involves a small number of human subjects ( = 20), plus a followup study using rats to measure brain impact of retinal nerve stimulation.
-- For members on this website who report photophobia, from whatever apparent diagnoses or lack thereof, I suspect that this is a line of research worth following in the future.
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/...ine-blind.html
Researchers probe how migraines worsened by light
Last Updated: Monday, January 11, 2010 | 1:07 PM ET
CBC News
Excerpts:
Researchers studying blind people have gained new clues about why light often intensifies the pain of migraine headaches.
Migraines are usually one-sided, throbbing headaches that can last from a few hours to three days. . . .
Nearly 85 per cent of migraine sufferers say they are also extremely sensitive to light, a condition known as photophobia.
Rami Burstein, a professor of anesthesia and neuroscience at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston,
and colleagues found light triggers activity in brain cells within seconds of hitting the optic nerve at the back of the eye.
It is those cells that seem to be responsible for causing migraine pain, the team reports in this week's issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience.
The researchers studied 20 people who are blind and have migraines. Of this group, six had no light perception and their optic nerves did not function. They did not experience photophobia.
The other 14 could sense light and dark and avoided light, such as by wearing sunglasses, even at night.
. . . "This helps explain why patients say that their headache intensifies within seconds after exposure to light, and improves 20 to 30 minutes after being in the dark," Burstein added.
The findings may help scientists identify ways to block the pathway so migraine patients won't be bothered by light, the researchers said.
The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Research to Prevent Blindness.
Migraines are usually one-sided, throbbing headaches that can last from a few hours to three days. . . .
Nearly 85 per cent of migraine sufferers say they are also extremely sensitive to light, a condition known as photophobia.
Rami Burstein, a professor of anesthesia and neuroscience at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston,
and colleagues found light triggers activity in brain cells within seconds of hitting the optic nerve at the back of the eye.
It is those cells that seem to be responsible for causing migraine pain, the team reports in this week's issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience.
The researchers studied 20 people who are blind and have migraines. Of this group, six had no light perception and their optic nerves did not function. They did not experience photophobia.
The other 14 could sense light and dark and avoided light, such as by wearing sunglasses, even at night.
. . . "This helps explain why patients say that their headache intensifies within seconds after exposure to light, and improves 20 to 30 minutes after being in the dark," Burstein added.
The findings may help scientists identify ways to block the pathway so migraine patients won't be bothered by light, the researchers said.
The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Research to Prevent Blindness.