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Review
. 2020 Aug 12;8(3):e112.
doi: 10.15190/d.2020.9.

Migrainous Infarction and Cortical Spreading Depression

Waleed Iftikhar  1 , Fatima Fayyaz Cheema  1 , Sneha Khanal  2 , Qudsia Umaira Khan  1
Affiliations
Review

Migrainous Infarction and Cortical Spreading Depression

Waleed Iftikhar et al. Discoveries (Craiova). .

Abstract

Migraine is a very common disorder of the nervous system. It shares similar physiological processes with stroke. Migrainous infarction is a rare complication of migraine with aura. The neuro-logical symptoms of migraine aura correspond to the cortical spreading depression and this depression can lead to a migrainous infarction. It is pertinent to state that the investigation and detection of the cortical depression might have a great clinical significance. Blood vessels in the cranium play an important role in the pathophysiology of migraine. In the case of injured states of brain, the cortical spreading depression causes extreme vasoconstriction rather than vasodilation. The endothelial damage caused by the cortical spreading depression can result in hypercoagulability, leading to an increased risk of stroke. There are many genetic disorders in which migraine and stroke are the major symptoms and an insight into these disorders can help us in the understanding of complex mechanisms of migrainous infarction. It is pertinent to state that some derangements in the vascular function accompany migraine which may also serve as targets for research and treatment. This article will describe the hemodynamic and genetic relationship between migraine induced stroke and how it relates to the cortical spreading depression.

Keywords: Migrainous infarction; cortical spreading depression; migraine; migraine with aura.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Mechanism of cortical spreading depression
Figure 2
Figure 2. Vascular response to cortical spreading depression in the normal state of the brain
Figure 3
Figure 3. Vascular response to cortical spreading depression in the injured states of the brain
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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