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  Study: Inner-Ear Disorder Contributes to Migraine Dizziness
February 23, 2004 Issue
By Jocelyn Uhl
A University of Pittsburgh pilot study has yielded results that may pave the way for understanding migraine-related dizziness and possible new treatments. The results of this study were presented in a poster at the Midwinter Meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology Feb. 22-26 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The pilot study, Pathophysiology of Migraine-Related Dizziness, addresses migraine-related dizziness by exploring the suspected relationship with abnormalities in vestibular function, or the sense of balance in the inner ear.
An estimated 25 million people in the United States experience migraine headaches. Nearly a third of these individuals suffer related episodes of vertigo, or dizziness. Researchers do not know the cause and process behind migraine-related dizziness, but many believe a relationship with vestibular function is involved.
Migraine headaches may be characterized as a pulsating headache on one side that interferes with daily life. Migraines are characterized by high sensitivity to lights and sounds, irritability, nausea, or extreme anxiety. Some migraine sufferers experience auras (flashing lights, bright spots, blurry vision, blind spots, or even auditory, sensory, or motor problems) about an hour before onset of the headache. A migraine episode also can include debilitating vertigo, known as migraine-related dizziness.
The results of this study suggest that patients with migraine-related dizziness have abnormalities in vestibular function that remain present between episodes of migraine headache and are more visually dependent than persons with migraines who don’t experience vertigo or persons in a control group who have no headaches. The authors speculate that the basis for these findings may relate to mechanisms controlling serotonin, a neurotransmitter, in the central vestibular system.
The Pitt investigators are Joseph Furman, a professor of otolaryngology and neurology in the School of Medicine, bioengineering in the School of Engineering, and physical therapy in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS); Dawn Marcus, associate professor of anesthesiology and neurology in the School of Medicine; Patrick Sparto, assistant professor of physical therapy in SHRS; Mark Redfern, professor of otolaryngology in the School of Medicine and professor of bioengineering and industrial engineering in the School of Engineering; and J. Richard Jennings, professor of psychiatry in the School of Medicine.
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