Issue Date: January 27, 2008
Migraine sufferers have thick brain area
By Peggy J. Noonan
People who suffer migraine headaches have differences in the part of the brain that processes pain and other sensory information, says a study that was published in the medical journal Neurology.
America's 30 million migraine sufferers often have other pain disorders.
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The difference: an average 21% thicker "somatosensory cortex" -- the part of the brain that processes feeling or sensation from skin, muscles, bones and tendons. In the small sample, researchers from the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital compared 24 people who have migraines with 12 who do not. The researchers don't know which came first -- the thickness or the migraines.
Study author Nouchine Hadjikhani, M.D., speculates that the brain difference might explain why migraine sufferers often have other pain disorders, such as back pain, jaw pain and allodynia, a condition in which the skin is so sensitive that even a breeze is painful.
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4 ways to head off migraines
The Mayo Clinic Health Letter recommends simple preventive steps:
Maintain a consistent sleep pattern.
Get regular exercise, such as walking or running.
If you smoke, stop. Smoking is a known migraine trigger.
Spend time reading, listening to music or practicing relaxation techniques, such as yoga. A study in the medical journal Headache showed that a combination of yoga, breathing exercises and relaxation techniques reduced migraine frequency and pain.
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