- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Obesity May Raise Kids' Allergy Risk
- Molecule in Skin May Link Eczema and Asthma
- Know Your Asthma Triggers
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Massage Fosters Healing in Bereaved Relatives
- U.S. Spends Billions On Alternative Medicine
- Licorice May Block Absorption of Organ Transplant Drug
- ANIMAL CARE
- Safe Toys for Dogs
- Rest Easy. When It Comes to Swine Flu, Your Pet Is Safe
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- BONES & JOINTS
- Majority of College Students Report Backpack-Related Pain
- Weight Loss Might Not Curb Knee Arthritis
- Put Your Best Foot Forward Next Year
- CANCER
- Multiple Screening Strategy Boosts Cervical Cancer Detection
- Mineral May Reduce High-Risk Bladder Disease
- HPV Vaccine Has Higher Allergic Reaction Rate
- CAREGIVING
- Mild Flu Season Coming to a Close
- Tainted China Formula Caused High Rate of Kidney Stones in Kids
- TV Watching Doesn't Fast-Track Baby's Skills
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- Walk 100 Steps a Minute for 'Moderate' Exercise
- Laughter Can Boost Heart Health
- COSMETIC
- Health Tip: After Liposuction
- Contact Lenses Boost Kids' Self-Image
- Study Evaluates Laser Therapies for Hair Removal
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Toothbrushing May Stave Off Heart Woes
- Rheumatoid Arthritis May Harm Gums
- Good Oral Hygiene May Protect Against Heart Infections
- DIABETES
- Study Shows Turmeric May Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
- Poor Blood Sugar Control After Heart Surgery Impacts Outcomes
- Fish Twice a Week Cuts Diabetics' Kidney Risks
- DIET, NUTRITION
- School Meals Need to Get Healthier
- Many Cancer Survivors Don't Adopt Healthy Lifestyle
- Occaisonal Dieting May Cut Breast Cancer, Study Says
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Seasons Arriving 2 Days Earlier, Study Says
- 'Safe' Ozone Levels May Not Be for Some
- Climate Change Could Sting Allergy, Asthma Sufferers
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Blood Sugar Control Helps Diabetics Preserve Sight
- Diabetic Hispanics Missing Out on Eye Exams
- Contact Lens Cases Often Contaminated
- FITNESS
- Good Warm-Ups Could Halve Sports Injuries
- Simple Steps Get Walkers Moving
- School Phys. Ed. Injuries Up 150 Percent
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- New Yogurt May Ease Stomach Ulcers
- Intestinal Bacteria Trigger Immune Response
- Traditional Nonsurgical GERD Treatments Not Impressive
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Most Women Struggle With Rising Health Care Costs
- Want Better Health in the New Year, Add Exercise to Your Day
- A Honey of a Sinusitis Treatment
- HEAD & NECK
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- E-Mailing Your Way to Healthier Habits
- Imaging Sheds Light on How Acupuncture Works
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Quitting Smoking Doubles Survival in Early Stage Lung Cancer
- Dark Chocolate May Lower Stroke Risk
- Heart Disease May Be Prevented By Taking Fish Oils, Study Shows
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Viral Infection Might Trigger High Blood Pressure
- Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu
- Surgical Masks Could Prevent Flu, Maybe
- KID'S HEALTH
- Treat Kids to a Safe Halloween
- Bullying Seems to Affect Kids Years Later
- 6 Million U.S. Kids Lack Enough Vitamin D
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Low Vitamin D Levels May Boost Men's Heart Attack Risk
- Lots of Sex May Prevent Erectile Dysfunction
- More Vitamin C May Mean Less Chance of Gout
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Mind Exercise Might Help Stroke Patients
- A Simple 'Thank You' Brings Rewards to All
- The 3LS Wellness Program for Reversing Chronic Symptoms and Creating Lasting Health
- PREGNANCY
- Exercise As Well As Acupuncture, May Ease Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
- Acupuncture May Ease Depression During Pregnancy
- Mom's Extra Pregnancy Pounds May Raise Child's Heart Risks
- SENIORS
- Community Exercise Programs Boost Seniors' Strength
- Seniors Who Volunteer May Live Longer
- Mediterranean Diet Plus Exercise Lowers Alzheimer's Risk
Clues Found to Brain Mechanism Behind Migraines
By eHolistic.com Published: 03/11/2009
WEDNESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists believe they may have found the biological trigger to a particular type of migraine headache.
In the March 12 issue of Neuron, an Italian university study on mice found that increased levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain appear to kick off a cortical spreading depression (CSD), a phenomenon that causes migraine sufferers to experience a visual disturbance known as migraine aura. The mice in the study had a gene mutation that has been shown to make people more susceptible to familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM), a subtype of severe migraine accompanied by the aura.
Brain imaging has previously shown that strong neuronal depolarization creeps across the cerebral cortex during CSD, initially increasing electrical signals in the brain, then suppressing neural activity for an extended period of time. Researchers have suspected CSD may flip on certain switches that start a migraine headache.
The researchers from the University of Padova, led by senior author Daniela Pietrobon, found that calcium influx and subsequent glutamate release at cortical pyramidal cell synapses were greater in mice with the FHM mutation. When the release of glutamate -- the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain -- was decreased to normal levels, the mice did not experience aura-inducing CSD.
"Our findings provide direct evidence that enhanced glutamate release may explain the facilitation of CSD in the FHM mouse model," Pietrobon, who works in the university's biomedical sciences department, said in a news release issued by the journal's publisher.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about migraines.
-- Kevin McKeever
SOURCE: Cell Press, news release, March 11, 2009
Last Updated: March 11, 2009
Copyright © 2009 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
More articles at www.eholistic.com
