Headache Glossary
By: National Institutes of Health
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endorphins-naturally occurring painkilling chemicals. Some scientists theorize that people who suffer from severe headache have lower levels of endorphins than people who are generally pain free.
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ergotamine tartrate-a drug that is used to control the painful dilation stage of migraine.
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hemiplegic migraine-a type of migraine causing temporary paralysis on one side of the body (hemiplegia)
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inflammatory headache-a headache that is a symptom of another disorder, such as sinus infection, and is treated by curing the underlying problem.
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magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-an imaging technique that uses radio waves, magnetic fields, and computer analysis to provide a picture of body tissues and structures.
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migraine-a vascular headache believed to be caused by blood flow changes and certain chemical changes in the brain leading to a cascade of events - including constriction of arteries supplying blood to the brain and the release of certain brain chemicals - that result in severe head pain, stomach upset, and visual disturbances.
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muscle-contraction headaches-headaches caused primarily by sustained muscle tension or, possibly, by restricted blood flow to the brain. Two forms of muscle-contraction headache are tension headache, induced by stress, and chronic muscle-contraction headache, which can last for extended periods, involves steady pain, and is usually felt on both sides of the head.
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nociceptors-the endings of pain-sensitive nerves that, when stimulated by stress, muscular tension, dilated blood vessels, or other triggers, send messages up the nerve fibers to nerve cells in the brain, signaling that a part of the body hurts.
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ophthalmoplegic migraine-a form of migraine felt around the eye and associated with a droopy eyelid, double vision, and other sight problems.
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prostaglandins-naturally occurring pain-producing substances thought to be implicated in migraine attacks. Their release is triggered by the dilation of arteries. Prostaglandins are extremely potent chemicals involved in a diverse group of physiological processes.
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