Migraine And Dopamine: A Painful Relationship

There is a direct link between migraine and dopamine that not everyone is aware of. When a person suffers from migraines, their brain undergoes a number of changes. One of these changes affects this type of neurotransmitter, dopamine.

Researchers have observed that when a person has lower dopamine levels, they tend to suffer from hypersensitivity. In other words, they experience pain when they see light or hear sounds.

There has been some speculation for a while regarding this relationship. However, it was not until a year ago that Alex DaSilva, a professor at the University of Michigan, published an article in the journal Neurology describing this complex process.

Thanks to new diagnostic techniques, and advances in positron emission tomography (PET), we have accurate and detailed images of every change our brain undergoes during a migraine.

In fact, anyone who has this disorder knows that there are recurring as well as exhausting aspects. In some cases, an odor, touch, sound or even the reflection of the sun is enough to instantly experience intense pain.

This disorder is not really understood by science. If you have not experienced them before, it is difficult to understand why a dark room causes relief or why it is impossible to be productive. Things like pain medication or a few hours of rest are not enough to relieve the pain.

Migraine produces many changes in the brain that make it different from simple headaches. Let’s analyze them.

Migraine and dopamine: A painful relationship

Greek mythology tells us that Zeus suffered for a long time from a terrible headache. Vulcan relieved his ailment by opening his skull with an ax. Then Athena, the goddess of learning, came out of his skull.

Aretaeus of Cappadocia, and later Galen, used this metaphor to define what they called heterochrony, an intense and devastating headache. Later in the seventeenth century, neurologist Thomas Willis called it migraine.

There is one fact we must not ignore. Migraines affect almost 15% of the population. In addition, it is genetic, according to studies conducted at the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Queensland University of Technology. Therefore, it is very likely that children of people suffering from migraines will also get it in the future.

Thus, we need to investigate this disorder further, in order to prevent it and treat it more effectively. To do this, it is a good idea to get to know the relationship between migraine and dopamine as the first step. Let’s look at what this relationship consists of.

Dopamine and its function in the brain

Dopamine is one of the most important neurotransmitters in our brain. It is important for many motor and cognitive processes.

In addition, the concentrations of this neurotransmitter in your amygdala determine whether you are more nervous or calm, according to a study by Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience .

In order to understand the relationship between migraine and dopamine, it is important to know the functions of which this chemical is a part:

• Memory, attention, motivation and problem solving.

• Motor skills.
• State of mind.
• Learning
• Reward system.
• Pain.

People with migraines have fluctuations in their dopamine levels

Professor DaSilva made the following discoveries, after conducting a series of tests on a large number of people suffering from this condition:

• The scans showed that during a migraine attack, there are lower levels of dopamine in the body. This creates hypersensitivity. In other words, stimuli such as light, sounds, smells or even a slight touch on the skin can be painful.
• At the same time, when you apply something warm to the skin of a person with migraines, it increases their dopamine levels. This increase in dopamine causes other symptoms such as dizziness and vomiting.

All of this is causing experts to wonder if migraines are related to a problem with dopamine fluctuations. There are moments where they fall and others where they rise if certain stimuli are present, such as heat.

Foods with tyrosine and their relationship to migraines and dopamine

Tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid that serves as a precursor for the production of dopamine and adrenaline. Because of this, it is necessary to regulate the consumption of all foods that contain tyrosine.

Instead of eliminating foods that contain tyrosine from our diet, we should try to moderate their intake. Remember that this condition creates clear fluctuations in our dopamine levels, and therefore it is necessary to avoid generating too much or too little dopamine.

It is necessary to balance this. Therefore, it is useful to remember which foods are the richest in tyrosine:

• Beef, chicken, pork and lamb.
• Salmon, monkfish and cod.
• Dairy products.
• Egg.
• Soy drinks.

Finally, there is a clear link between migraine and dopamine. It is worth mentioning that researchers are currently developing new drugs to regulate dopamine production so that they can sooner or later create an effective treatment.