headache

Sleep Deprivation and the Biological Mechanisms of Chronic Migraine Headache

by

Scientists from the Missouri State University’s Center for Biomedical & Life Sciences have found new research to suggest sleep deprivation leads to changes in the levels of key proteins that facilitate events involved in the underlying pathology of migraine. “Previous clinical data support a relationship between sleep quality and migraine,” said Paul L. Dunham, Ph.D. “so we used an established model of sleep deprivation to measure levels of proteins that lower the activation threshold of peripheral and central nerves involved in pain transmission during migraine. We found that REM sleep deprivation caused increased expression of the proteins p38, PKA, and P2X3, which are known to play an important role in initiating and sustaining chronic pain.” “So little is known about the biological mechanisms that underlie how certain factors trigger a migraine attack,” said David Dodick, M.D., “This is important work … Read more

TV and Computer Viewing Leads to Physical Pain

by

A new  study looking at computer monitor and TV screen viewing has findings I don’t find particularly shocking or surprising by any means. Over 30,000 Nordic teenagers were used in a study published in the  journal BMC Public Health. Torbjørn Torsheim, from the University of Bergen, Norway, and his researchers found that TV viewing, computer use and computer gaming (screen time) were consistently associated with recurrent headaches and back pain. Torbjørn Torsheim said, “A rising prevalence of physical complaints such as back pain, neck and shoulder pain, and headache has been reported for adolescent populations. Parallel to this, adolescents are spending an increasing amount of time on screen-based activities, such as TV, computer games, or other types of computer based entertainment.” The study found  little interaction between the type of activity performed while viewing the computer and TV and the … Read more

Headache Causes Difficulty Tuning out Visuals

by

A recent study from researchers from Scotland’s Glasgow Caledonian University has come out with implications for headache sufferers. The research suggests migraine sufferers even when they do not have a headache may process visual cues better in an environment with few visual distractions. The researchers asked migraine sufferers to pick out a small disk of light with visual noise was present which severed as a visual distraction. Without the visual noise, people prone to migraine could identify the light disk about as well as the control group. When the noise was added, migraine sufferers performed significantly worse. The study demonstrated migraine sufferers with auras were the actually the most affected by the addition of visual noise. This research has practical implications for those who suffer from headache and migraine. It may thus be best to avoid environments with a lot … Read more

Todd Rozen – Geisinger

by

Dr. Todd Rozen, who was formerly at the Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Institute has moved to Geisinger Health System in Danville, PA. I saw Dr. Rozen several times while he was located in the midwest, since it was in driving distance. However now that he is in Pennsylvania, driving is out of the question and I don’t think I will be seeing him anymore. This is unfortunate since he is without a doubt the best doctor I have seen thus far. I am not quite sure why he made the move as many at MHNI are quite upset. However, others in PA must be happy for the opportunity to possibly get treated for NDPH and their chronic headache conditions. I just thought I would make an update in case you missed it.

Gene Linked to Increased Heart Disease in Migraine Women

by

Heart disease is the leading cause of death and stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Women who experience migraine with aura appear to be at an increased risk of heart disease and stroke if they have a certain gene. For the study, researchers followed 25,001 Caucasian women for the occurrence of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and ischemic stroke. About 18 percent of the women in the study had a history of migraine while 40 percent of those with active migraine reported migraine with aura. Migraine with aura can be described as neurological symptoms that usually last for about 30 minutes and most often lead to visual disturbances. The women were also tested for a certain gene variant in the methyleneterahydrofolate reductase gene. During a 12-year follow-up period, 625 cardiovascular disease events occurred. The … Read more