Strange Visual Auras Could Hold the Key to Better Migraine Treatments

Exactly wherefore CSD starts, cipher knows. Similarly, plentifulness of mysteries stay astir what activates the symptom of migraines. Past studies person projected that migraine headaches hap erstwhile thing successful the cerebrospinal fluid indirectly activates nerves successful the adjacent meninges, the layers of membrane betwixt the encephalon and the skull. Rasmussen’s experiment, led by neuroscientist Maiken Nedergaard, initially acceptable retired to find grounds to enactment this—but they came distant empty-handed. “We didn’t get anything,” helium says.

So they tried a antithetic approach, injecting fluorescent tracer substances into the cerebrospinal fluid and imaging the mice’s skulls. The tracers concentrated astatine the extremity of the trigeminal nerve, “these large nervus bundles that prevarication similar 2 sausages connected the basal of the skull.” It was a large surprise, helium says, to find substances were capable to scope this portion of the peripheral tense system, wherever they could activate symptom receptors. “So we got excited and besides precise puzzled—like, however does it adjacent get there?” This led them to the opening—the extremity of the trigeminal nervus that was successful unfastened interaction with the cerebrospinal fluid.

The researchers besides sampled the cerebrospinal fluid and recovered much than 100 proteins that roseate oregon fell successful the aftermath of CSD, suggesting imaginable engagement successful the symptom of migraine. A twelve of the proteins that accrued are known to enactment arsenic transmitter substances susceptible of activating sensory nerves, including 1 called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a known people for migraine drugs. Rasmussen says it was a bully motion to find it among the mix. “But for us, what is astir absorbing is truly the 11 different proteins that person not been described before,” helium says—as these could unfastened the doorway for caller treatments.

There are inactive reasons to beryllium cautious, says Turgay Dalkara, a prof of neurology astatine Hacettepe University successful Turkey with an involvement successful auras. Mouse models are useful, but the size differences successful rodent and quality skulls are problematic—especially erstwhile it comes to the country wherever the opening was found. “From the rodent to the human, the surface-volume ratio is dramatically different,” helium says. The thought that Rasmussen’s squad initially investigated—that CSD releases substances that activate and sensitize nerves successful the meninges—remains the champion supported mechanics observed successful humans, helium adds. Rasmussen’s finding, of this antecedently undiscovered spot wherever cerebrospinal fluid could interaction nerves, should beryllium considered a imaginable summation to this picture, not a replacement for it.

Hadjikhani agrees but is nevertheless excited to find a further pathway for investigation. For doctors, the deficiency of knowing astir however migraines enactment means sleuthing for the close combinations of medicines to springiness sufferers immoderate relief. “You effort one. You effort a combination. You instrumentality 1 off,” she says. “You person to beryllium Sherlock Holmes, uncovering what triggers things.”

The information that migraines alteration truthful overmuch means determination whitethorn ne'er beryllium a metallic slug solution. Rasmussen hopes that, successful the agelong term, being capable to observe changes successful an individual’s cerebrospinal fluid could minimize this guesswork and pb to personalized solutions.