Migraine auras
WHAT THE STRANGE FEATURES TELL US ABOUT MIGRAINES with Andreas Klein
Thirty eight per cent of migraine sufferers experience auras , and twenty per cent of migraines involve auras .
When present , auras last about 30 minutes and a migraine usually follows within 10 minutes .
However , twenty per cent of auras don ’ t become a migraine .
Over 50 aura-symptoms have been described . Visual auras are by far the most frequent , although weakness , dizziness , numbness / tingling , and speech difficulties are common .
Studies show migraines result from damage to local brain cells . This causes altered function of the brain-region involved . If damage is severe enough , we perceive it consciously and an aura is the result .
The damaged brain cells also release a host of biochemicals , and if damage is sufficient these are released to turn on local pain sensors ( nociceptors ) which results in us experiencing the pain we know as the migraine headache .
So how are brain cells damaged ? The brain is the most energy hungry organ in the body . It requires 10 times more oxygen than the rest of the body ( Clarke & Sokoloff 1999 ).
The brain is exquisitely sensitive to anything that hampers energy production including lack of oxygen and when brain cells can ’ t make enough energy , they are easily damaged .
In the damaged ones some neurons
stop working ( i . e ., stop producing their normal electrical signals ).
In migraine the area within which damage happens actually spreads like a wave across the cortical surface of the brain , involving ever more brain cells – this phenomenon is called a cortical spreading depression ( CSD ).
The type of aura we get depends upon the region in which damage occurs . The area of the brain which controls vision is at the back of the head . It is known as Brodmann ’ s area 17 .
The visual cortex has the highest neuronal density of any brain region and the lowest relative density of supporting cells called astrocytes that protect brain cells from CSD .
It is also the brain region most sensitive to energy deprivation and thus migraine-auras are mostly visual because in most people the brain-celldamage that initiates a CSD occurs in the vulnerable visual cortex .
The simple reason migraine-auras are varied is that symptoms depend upon the brain region in which damage and CSD starts , and on where the damage wave travels to .
Visual auras are by far the most frequent , although weakness , dizziness , numbness / tingling , and speech difficulties are common .
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How will you be helping a Mo Bro or a Mo Sister this Movember ? Grow a moustache ; move for Movember ; host a Mo-Ment or Mo your own way ?
November is a month dedicated to the awareness of men ’ s mental health , suicide prevention , prostate cancer and testicular cancer – dubbed Movember .
It began in 2003 with the idea of growing a moustache to fundraise – 30 people joined up in fact – now it ’ s global with more than five million participants , according to the Movember charity .
Money raised funds groundbreaking health projects across mental health and suicide prevention , prostate cancer and testicular cancer – a total of 1,250 projects so far . These include :
Digital Dads Groups : provide a safe virtual space for isolated dads to find the support and connection they need to manage the day-to-day stresses of parenthood and social isolation .
Man Cave TV : a video platform that provides young men ( aged between 12- 18 ) with the tools to build their emotional intelligence , social connectedness and improve their relationships . The team creates funny , educational and dynamic video content ( on topics such as sex , death , wellbeing and relationships ) that will help to challenge perceptions of traditional masculinity .
The Check Mate app : allows young male Australian tradesmen to have conversations about their wellbeing using smartphones . It lets men check in on their mates if they think something is wrong via an AI-mediated , anonymous text conversation .
The AI provides different ways of asking how someone is doing and gives the person options on how to reply . It also provides links to support and clinical mental health services if needed . It will detect signs of high-risk where a human moderator is necessary .
The Movember charity aims to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25 per cent by 2030 . So , get cracking and find your Hills Shire event , sign up or donate at : au . movember . com .
THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 138 // NOVEMBER 2021 29