Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston compared 24 migraine sufferers to 12 people without migraine.

Despite years of exploring different theories, researchers have yet to discover what causes migraine headaches. Migraines are periodic extremely painful throbbing headaches, usually accompanied by other distressing symptoms like nausea and vomiting and hypersensitivity to light, noise, and odor. They are often preceded by what's called an aura - a visual disturbance like flashes of light or blurred or tunnel vision, an unusual taste or odor, or a body symptom like tingling, numbness or dizziness.

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Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston compared 24 migraine sufferers to 12 people without migraine. Using sophisticated imaging techniques, they discovered that the somatosensory cortex area of the brain was an average of 21 percent thicker in those with migraines. The somatosensory cortex area of the brain helps process sensory information, including pain, according to the study. What the researchers don't know yet is if this substantial thickening of this part of the cortex in migraine sufferers is the cause of, or the result of, frequent migraines. "Most of these people had been suffering from migraines since childhood, so the long-term overstimulation of the sensory fields in the cortex could explain these changes," said study author Dr. Nouchine Hadjikhani, of the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at the hospital. "It's also possible that people who develop migraines are naturally more sensitive to stimulation."

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Hadjikhani said the study results, which were published in the medical journal Neurology, may explain why people with migraines often have other pain disorders such as back pain and jaw pain. She points out that migraine sufferers also experience other sensory problems such as allodynia, a condition in which the skin becomes so sensitive that even a gentle breeze can be painful, which she believes indicates that the brain's sensory mechanisms are important components in migraine. She theorized that if it was possible to prevent migraines, it may be possible to stop the changes taking place in the brain - and to prevent patients becoming hypersensitive to pain. An earlier study at Harvard Medical School also found increased thickness of two areas of the cortex in people with migraine compared to healthy subjects. Both areas are known to be associated with the brain's ability to process signals around movement. The Harvard researchers speculate that the changes in motion-related areas of the cortex could help explain why some people with migraine have problems with visual processing even between attacks. Commenting on the research, Peter Goadsby from London's Institute of Neurology said, "The new data show that after four millennia, migraine still has many more secrets to be uncovered." Several studies have established the importance of treating a migraine as soon as possible after an attack begins in order to interrupt the pain process. Sumatriptan succinate is a prescription migraine medication which affects the constriction of blood vessels that has proven to be a particularly effective migraine medication when taken at the onset of symptoms. Sumatriptan succinate is marketed as Imitrex. As the patent on Imitrex expired in 2008, less expensive generic Imitrex is now also available.