BACKGROUND Migraine is recognised increasingly as a risk factor for ischaemic stroke in women of childbearing age. Migraine with aura poses a higher risk than migraine without aura. OBJECTIVE To investigate further the effect of duration, frequency, recency, and type of migraine on the risk of ischaemic stroke. METHODS Additional analyses of a previously reported multicentre case-control st...

BACKGROUND Studies have shown a high prevalence of migraine among narcoleptic patients. HLA-DQB1*0602 and HLA DRB1 alleles are closely associated with narcolepsy. An increase in the HLA-DRB1 allele frequency in patients with visual aura has raised greater awareness of the genetic background in migraine. PURPOSE Since the regions DR and DQ of the HLA are in tightly linkage desiquilibrium we hy...

BACKGROUND The main objective of this study was to investigate the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) genotype as a possible risk factor for migraine (both with and without aura) compared to controls. We also wanted to examine whether a clinical response to an ACE inhibitor, lisinopril, or an angiotensin II receptor blocker, candesartan, in migraine prophylaxis was related to ACE genotype. M...

OBJECTIVE To examine short-wavelength sensitivity in patients with migraine using short-wavelength automated perimetry (SWAP) and Stiles 2-color increment threshold procedures. METHODS Twenty-five subjects with migraine with (n = 11) and without (n = 14) aura and 20 age-matched headache-free subjects underwent testing. All subjects underwent standard automated perimetry (SAP) and SWAP (using ...

Introduction: Women have been reported to have a higher risk for migraine. The pathogenesis of migraine is known to be related to genetic risk factors such as the presence of common polymorphisms C677T (rs1801133) and A1298C (rs1801131) in the MTHFR gene. The aim of the study was to examine the role of these two MTHFR polymorphisms as risk factors for pediatric migraine and examine the gender-s...

BACKGROUND There is a growing interest in the role of the endothelium in migraine. Recently, our group showed differences in endothelial function between the anterior and posterior cerebral circulation in healthy subjects, reduced vasodilatatory capacity of the posterior cerebral circulation and unimpaired systemic endothelial function in migraine patients without comorbidities. However, the re...

First identified in 1975, the relationship between migraine and stroke has received considerable attention. Forty years later, solid evidence indicates that those with migraine have a 1.5-fold to 2.5-fold increased risk of stroke. However, the strength of this relationship varies based on the subtypes of migraine (with vs without aura) and stroke (hemorrhagic vs ischemic). While the majority of...

Square-wave gratings with particular spatial characteristics induce visual illusions. Patients with migraine are particularly susceptible to these illusions and report discomfort. Their discomfort tends to be greater when the gratings are illuminated by red light, a tendency not shown by controls. Gratings that induce illusions have been found to impair the recognition of optically superimposed...

A relationship between migraine with aura and the presence of right-to-left shunts has been reported in two studies. Right-to-left shunts are also associated with some forms of decompression illness. While conducting research in divers with decompression illness, it was our impression that divers with a large shunt often had a history of migraine with aura in everyday life and after dives. Ther...