Are Migraine With and Without Aura Best Studied Separately?

Chemical Agents Only Provoke Migraine Without Aura
Various studies have examined agents that provoke migraine attacks. Nitroglycerine and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) were found to provoke migraine without aura attacks in migraineurs with and without aura. The two agents, however, could not induce a migraine aura in any patient. In addition, nitroglycerine and CGRP each failed to provoke a migraine attack in patients with familial hemiplegic migraine.

One of Dr. Olesen’s doctoral students identified patients who reported that they had a migraine aura result from strenuous physical exercise or from strong light. When the student tried to induce migraine aura in these patients using their reported triggers, three patients developed migraine without aura and three of them developed migraine with aura.

Separating Distinct Forms of the Same Disorder
“It is important that we study migraine with aura and migraine without aura separately,” said Dr. Olesen. But despite the conditions’ differences, “the way we have classified it in the International Headache Classification is a fair one,” Dr. Olesen added. “Both migraine with aura and migraine without aura are called migraine. They are subforms of the same disorder.”