MIGRAINES ASSOCIATED WITH VARIATIONS IN STRUCTURE OF BRAIN ARTERIES

The network of arteries supplying blood flow to the brain is more likely to be incomplete in people who suffer from migraines, a new study reports. Variations in arterial anatomy lead to asymmetries in cerebral blood flow that might contribute to the process of triggering migraines.

The arterial supply of blood to the brain is protected by a series of connections between the major arteries, termed the "circle of Willis" after the English physician who first described it in the 17th century. People with migraines, particularly migraines with aura, are more likely to be missing components of the circle of Willis.

"People with migraines actually have differences in the structure of their blood vessels , this is something you are born with," said the author, Brett Cucchiara, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology. "These differences seem to be associated with changes in blood flow in the brain, and it's possible that these changes may trigger migraines, which may explain why some people, for instance, notice that dehydration triggers their headaches."

This study was conducted on 170 people divided in three groups, a control group with no headaches, those who had migraines with aura, and those who had migraines without aura. The team found that an incomplete circle of Willis was more common in people with migraines with aura (73 percent) and migraines without aura (67 percent), compared to a headache-free control group (51 percent).

Thanks to: sciencedaily.com