Study finds link between brain abnormalities and migraines

Individuals who suffer with migraines may have suffered from certain brain abnormalities at birth that have then developed over time.

That is according to a new study carried out by experts in Italy and published in the journal Radiology, which has built on previous research into migraines that have suggested the chronic stimulation in the cortical regions of the brain is the cause of atrophy in these areas.

In this study, the analysed cortical thickness by using a surface-based MRI method and established a link between irregularities in this region and migraines.

Massimo Filippi, director of the Neuroimaging Research Unit at the University Ospedale San Raffaele and professor of neurology at the University Vita-Salute's San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, said "cortical surface area increases dramatically during late fetal development as a consequence of cortical folding".
According to figures collated by the World Health Organisation, more than 300 million people worldwide suffer from migraines.