Progress in the understanding of migraine pathogenesis has been hampered by the unavailability of animal models for this disorder. Thus, there has been limited study of the human condition itself. Until recently, direct examination of brain function could not be performed without hazard to the patient. Now, with techniques such as positron emission tomography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, 133Xe-inhalation cerebral blood flow (CBF), and magnetoencephalography we can derive insights into central mechanisms of the attack. This chapter reviews the evidence obtained by these...

Progress in the understanding of migraine pathogenesis has been hampered by the unavailability of animal models for this disorder. Thus, there has been limited study of the human condition itself. Until recently, direct examination of brain function could not be performed without hazard to the patient. Now, with techniques such as positron emission tomography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, 133Xe-inhalation cerebral blood flow (CBF), and magnetoencephalography we can derive insights into central mechanisms of the attack. This chapter reviews the evidence obtained by these non-invasive techniques in the context of a conceptual mechanism for migraine — that is, that the attack is due to an abnormality of the normally finely tuned interaction between neuronal and vascular elements of the central nervous system (CNS).