People who suffer from migraines have thicker brains in certain regions than non-sufferers, according to a new study. It is not clear whether variations in the thickness of the somatosensory cortex – which processes pain – are a cause or a result of migraines.

“Most of these people had been suffering from migraines since childhood, so the long-term over-stimulation of the sensory fields in the cortex could explain these changes,” says study author Nouchine Hadjikhani of Massachusetts General Hospital (Telegraph, BBC, press release).

“It’s also possible that people who develop migraines are naturally more sensitive to stimulation. This may explain why people with migraines often also have other pain disorders such as back pain, jaw pain, and other sensory problems such as allodynia, where the skin becomes so sensitive that even a gentle breeze can be painful.”

The study itself looked at only 24 patients with migraine. However it did find that ‘migraineurs’ had on average a thicker somatosensory cortex than matched controls.

“The more we understand about the pathophysiology of migraine, the better we will be able to design drugs that work. At the moment, there is no drug for prevention that works well,” Hadjikhani said (Reuters).

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