IHC 2021 | Migraine phases: more than a disorder of pain

Nazia Karsan, MRCP, PhD, King’s College London, London, UK, discusses the benefits of understanding the premonitory and postdrome migraine phases. The premonitory phase can provide significant insights into the understanding of migraine without pain. It offers an opportunity to study potential mechanisms of a migraine attack and can be beneficial to patients and doctors in understanding attack generation within the brain and the potential for treating migraine during the premonitory phase. Dr Karsan highlights that more research needs to be done on how the premonitory phase leads to pain. The migraine postdrome is a chance to understand mechanisms of attack abortion with treatment or spontaneously. Additionally, Dr Karsan talks on future research to understand the mechanisms that tie pain and the non-painful symptoms of migraine. This interview took place during the International Headache Congress 2021.