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Cerebral circulatory changes during migraine headache with aura
J S Meyer1, Y Terayama, S Takashima
1Cerebral Blood Flow Laboratory, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
Reviews in the Neurosciences
|July 1, 1993
Summary
Migraine attacks involve changes in cephalic blood flow, with decreased regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during prodrome and increased rCBF during headache. These vascular changes support a vascular hypothesis for migraine pathogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Vascular Biology
- Headache Medicine
Background:
- Migraine is frequently associated with alterations in cephalic blood flow and vascular responsiveness.
- These vascular changes are observed both during migraine attacks and in the intervals between them.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the evidence supporting a vascular hypothesis in the pathogenesis of migraine with aura.
- To correlate observed vascular changes with the efficacy of specific migraine treatments.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on cephalic blood flow and vascular responsiveness in migraine patients.
- Analysis of pharmacological and therapeutic data related to vasoactive agents and migraine attacks.
Main Results:
- Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) typically decreases during the migraine prodrome and increases during and after the headache phase.
- Abnormal vascular responsiveness is a consistent finding in migraine patients, persisting between attacks.
- Therapeutic agents like calcium entry blockers and sumatriptan demonstrate the link between vascular function and migraine.
Conclusions:
- The observed alterations in cephalic blood flow and vascular responsiveness provide strong support for a vascular basis in migraine pathogenesis.
- The effectiveness of vasoconstrictive and calcium channel blocking drugs further substantiates the role of vascular mechanisms in migraine with aura.