What does a migraine aura look like?-A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Neuroscience
• Genetics

Background:

• Migraine with aura (MA) is a common neurological condition affecting up to 30% of migraine sufferers.
• Symptoms include transient visual, sensory, speech, or motor disturbances, linked to cortical spreading depression.
• Prevalence varies by demographics, notably higher in women.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize current knowledge on migraine with aura.
• To cover aura types, epidemiology, genetics, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management.
• To highlight areas for future research in MA.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of existing literature.
• Analysis of epidemiological, genetic, and neuroimaging studies.
• Inclusion of neurophysiological techniques like EEG, VEP, and TMS.

Main Results:

• MA pathophysiology involves cortical spreading depression, neurovascular, and inflammatory changes.
• Genetic studies reveal susceptibility loci for MA.
• Neuroimaging shows altered brain connectivity in MA patients.

Conclusions:

• Differential diagnosis is crucial due to symptom overlap with other neurological disorders.
• Current treatments primarily focus on headache, with limited targeted aura therapies.
• Further research is needed for specific MA phenotyping and targeted treatments.