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What Are Migraines With Focal Neurological Signs?

A migraine is an illness rooted in abnormal brain activity that usually features an incapacitating headache, along with symptoms such as nausea, light and sound sensitivity, numbness, and visual disturbances. These visual disturbances are called focal neurological symptoms or signs.

  1. Progression of Illness

    • Migraine attacks may start with a premonitory phase featuring symptoms that include fatigue, neck ache, and intolerance of light, sound and/or odors. For some, an aura phase occurs next, featuring visual disturbances.

    Migraineurs with Aura

    • About 20 to 40 percent of migraineurs---migraine sufferers---experience an aura phase preceding the worst of the attack. If migraineurs do not notice premonitory symptoms, the aura phase will likely let them know pain is coming.

    Aura Phase Symtoms

    • Focal neurological symptoms during the aura phase might be subtle---dots of light---or more dramatic, including partial loss of vision. Other symptoms include seeing wavy or zig-zag lines or scintillating lights, numbness, and slurred speech.

    Stroke and Migraine Aura Confused

    • Migraine aura symptoms and the symptoms of stroke overlap (numbness, slurred speech, vision loss and muscle weakness). A transient ischaemic attack, or minor stroke, is a warning sign of a severe stroke, but it could be mistaken for a migraine.

    Stroke and Migraine

    • Rarely, a migraineur with aura can have a stroke during the attack. Risk factors include smoking and use of birth control pills. Migraineur women of childbearing age have nearly three times more risk than non-migraineur women the same age.

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