Migraine auras explained: Disruption in brain fluid flow linked to headaches

For the first time, new research explains the relationship between the neurological symptoms of aura and the ensuing migraine, elucidating how a brain fluid flow disruption and a spreading wave of disruption cause headaches. Migraine auras explained: Disruption in brain fluid flow linked to headaches The findings of the study appeared in the journal Science. "In this study, we describe the interaction between the central and peripheral nervous system brought about by increased concentrations of proteins released in the brain during an episode of spreading depolarization, a phenomenon responsible for the aura associated with migraines," said Maiken Nedergaard, MD, DMSc, co-director of the University of Rochester Center for Translational Neuromedicine and lead author of the new study. However, the researchers identified a previously unknown gap in the barrier that allowed CSF to flow directly into the trigeminal ganglion, exposing sensory nerves to the cocktail of proteins released by the brain.