Grant: Operating Grant - Priority Announcement: Institute of Gender and Health

Migraine headache affects at least 12% of the adult Canadian population. Despite advances in developing drugs to abort or suppress the headache, progress has been slow in understanding the brain processes that underlie migraine. This is critical if we are to develop effective pharmacological and non-pharmacological preventive strategies and treatments. Guided by neural network modelling of sensory mechanisms in the normal human brain, we will use behavioural methods to examine the underlying roots of visual hypersensitivity in migraine. The results of these studies will help to localize the site(s) of abnormal sensitivity in the visual pathways of migraineurs. This knowledge will be of direct value to migraine sufferers in terms of helping them to structure their visual environments to reduce aversive visual stimulation, the presence of which may lower their threshold for attacks. In the longer term, the knowledge gained will be important in the development of more targeted pharmaceutical preventive and abortive medications with fewer side effects.