Migraines could be caused by more than work stress and loud neighbors, the splitting headaches could have been there since birth.
An irregular arterial anatomy could lead to irregular blood flow in the brain, causing those excruciating migraines, a University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine press release, reported.
"People with migraine actually have differences in the structure of their blood vessels - this is something you are born with," study author, Brett Cucchiara, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology, said. "These differences seem to be associated with changes in blood flow in the brain, and it's possible that these changes may trigger migraine, which may explain why some people, for instance, notice that dehydration triggers their headaches."
The brain's arterial blood supply is protected by connected arteries dubbed the "circle of Willis." Researchers once thought migraines were caused by the dilation of cranial blood vessels. New research suggests they are actually caused by "abnormal neuronal signals."
Researchers believe "structural alterations of the blood supply to the brain may increase susceptibility to changes in cerebral blood flow, contributing to the abnormal neuronal activity that starts migraine."
The study looked at 170 people, some did not suffer from headaches, some had migraines with an aura, and others had migraines but with no aura.
"A visual aura is like an electrical or chemical wave that moves across the visual cortex of your brain [during a migraine], the Mayo Clinic stated. "This visual aura may expand into a sickle- or C-shaped object, with zigzag lines on the leading edge. As it moves, it may appear to grow."
Researchers found 73 percent of people who experienced auras had an incomplete "circle of Willis." Sixty-seven percent of those who got migraines without auras had it, and only 57 percent of those with no headaches had an incomplete circle, the press release reported.
Migraines affect about 28 million people in the U.S., symptoms can vary from mild to debilitating.
