In the past, a lot of research has been done to find out the causes of migraine and its symptoms. Nevertheless, the origin is still unclear. Scientists largely agree that several factors must interact to cause migraine or a susceptibility to it. It is possible that the predisposition to migraine is inherited.
Triggers for migraine
Causes are specific triggers that vary from individual to individual. Such internal or external stimuli can be, for example:
- Certain foods or alcoholic beverages
- Stressors
- Changes in the daily routine
- Lack of sleep
- Noise
- Weather changes
- Medication
- Menstruation
Theories on the cause of migraine
In principle, theories can be distinguished that assume the causative disorder in the brain, and those that assume that functional disorders in the autonomic/hormonal system of the person are underlying.
The former include the hypotheses that the blood vessels in the brain cannot adapt properly to the situation at hand or that the messenger substances (especially serotonin) lead to overreactions as a result of dysfunctions of the nerve cells (“migraine generator” in the area of the brain stem).
In contrast, supporters of the functional disorder assume that influences in the entire body system are the causes of migraine. These influences are for example wrong nutrition, imbalance of hormones or stress. As a result, the nervous system becomes more prone to suddenly overreact to otherwise harmless stimuli (comparable to the immune system in an allergy).
