Researchers believe migraines with aura may leave a permanent mark on the brain.
According to a new study, researchers at Uniformed Services University in Maryland looked at data collected from over 4,600 adults in Iceland. They were followed since 1967. Then, in 2002, they underwent brain scans.
After adjusting for factors that could lead to brain lesions, like heart disease, the researchers found women who had migraines with aura during middle-age were significantly more likely to have spots of dead tissue in the brain. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, did not show a significant link between migraines and lesions in the male brain.
Experts are not sure what effect these lesions have on brain function, and they say until larger studies are done, it is premature to assume they are hazardous.
Aura often precedes a migraine. It is a sensory disturbance involving vision, balance or speech.
