Migraines could be treated by ramping up the brain's cleaning system

 

Image courtesy of Victor de Schwanberg/Science Photo Library

Joel Kontinen

Amplifying the brain's waste disposal system seems to clear a substance that drives migraines, relieving some of the pain associated with the condition.

How does the brain deal with migraines. Now, it seems that an intelligent design ingredient can lessen them. It deals with the brains cleaning system.

Novel approaches are edging us closer to relieving the agonising pain of migraines for all affected

One-third of people with migraines don’t respond to current treatments, but harnessing the brain’s cleaning system could open up a new treatment option. A drug that ordinarily treats high blood pressure helped this system more effectively remove a chemical substance from the brains of mice that is a potent driver of migraines. As a result, the mice showed fewer signs of facial pain, which affects about 60 per cent of people with migraines during an episode.

Around 1 in 7 people worldwide have migraines. Pain, pressure or throbbing in the cheeks, jaw, forehead or behind the eyes are common symptoms, and can be exacerbated by even light touch. “Simply brushing their hair can be painful for [people with migraines],” says Adriana Della Pietra at the University of Iowa, who presented the research at the Oxford Glymphatic and Brain Clearance Symposium in the UK on 1 April.

Source: 

Carissa Wong 2026 Migraines could be treated by ramping up the brain's cleaning system | New Scientist 7 April