Migraine link to brain damage
Migraines may cause brain damage as cells swell and are starved of oxygen - which could explain why sufferers have a higher risk of stroke. Studies on mice by University of Rochester researchers suggest that sufferers should not simply seek pain relief but should take drugs that prevent the migraine, Reuters reports. Although it's not clear if the effects of migraine are permanent, previous studies have found that sufferers are twice as likely to have a stroke, and women are much more likely to suffer the characteristic pain. Using micro-electrodes, the team found that brain cells become swollen and are starved of oxygen during an attack.
Drug study points to craving cure
Addictive drugs such as heroin and cocaine appear to remodel key parts of the brain associated with cravings, with the changes persisting long after the effects of the drug have worn off. 'Addiction is a form of pathological learning,' says Julie Kauer of her Brown University team's studies on mice. Although the relevant synapses that connect brain cells continue to work normally, they are 'remodelled in a maladaptive way', she says. The study points to the possibility of using other drugs to neutralise cravings to help former addicts avoid relapse, AFP reports.
Scans monitor reefer madness
There may be something to so-called reefer madness, after all: marijuana can trigger temporary psychotic symptoms in some people, including hallucinations and paranoia, according to a study at King's College, London. 'We've suspected that cannabis is linked to psychoses, but we've never had scans to show how the mechanism works,' says team leader Philip McGuire. Although cannabidiol, a compound in marijuana, keeps people relaxed, even small doses of another component, tetrahydro-cannabinol, interferes with the brain's inferior frontal cortex, in effect unleashing paranoia that is usually controlled, AP reports.