migraine patients tended to avoid the light to reduce the headaches that are recurrent. Why light conditions worsen migraines?
Migraine is a headache that is felt on one side of the head alone, this disease can even cause the sufferer experiencing nausea.
Scientists from Harvard found the path that is the basis of visual sensitivity to light migraine sufferers. This light can trigger a reaction in a group of active neurons in the brain for some time.
The study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, reveal a blind person because of factors of severe migraine degenaratif have the sensitivity to light or fear to be photographed.
Based on observations obtained from the light signal is transmitted from the retina through the optic nerve, but not known with certainty why can exacerbate the pain in the head.
Researchers analyzed 20 migraine sufferers who are blind and divided into 2 groups. The first group is completely blind due to diseases such as cancer or glaucoma, these patients can not see or feel the light image. Whereas the second group suffered blindness due to retinal degenerative diseases, although not able to see the picture but can detect the presence of light.
Patients in both groups experienced increased pain when exposed to light, while the first group did not demonstrate increased severity of pain if exposed to light.
“This shows the involvement of the optic nerve, because the first group of optic nerve does not carry light signals to the brain,” said Professor Rami Burstein, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, USA,
Researchers also found a group of retinal cells containing melanopsin photoreceptors (to help control the body’s biological functions, including sleep and wake) are critically involved in this process.
Migraine pain is believed due to the membrane surrounding the brain and central nervous system affected. This stimulates pain receptors and triggers a series of events that leads to prolonged activation of the sensory neurons.
“When the small electrode is inserted into the ‘migraine neurons’, we found that this light can trigger the flow of electrical signals which are assembled in cells. This may help explain why migraine patients the pain improved after a few seconds exposed to light,” said Professor Burstein.
