Migraine headache characteristics

Headaches are classified into three major categories primary, psychogenic, and secondary (Table 30.1). This section focuses on the characteristics, pathophysiology, management, and prevention of only migraine headache. 

Serotonin has been found to influence sleeping, the regulation of body temperature, and sensory perception, but its exact role in mental illness is not yet clear. Unusually low levels of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, a product of serotonin utilization, are characteristically found in the spinal fluid of victims of violent suicide. Drugs that mimic serotonin are sometimes used to treat depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Serotonin blockers are used to treat migraine headaches and relieve the nausea that accompanies cancer chemotherapy. A better understanding of the biochemistry of the brain may lead to better medications for treating various forms of mental illness. 

Patients experiencing migraine without aura display the following headache symptoms and characteristics ... 

Characteristics of migraine, cluster and tension-type headaches. 

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