The Connection Between Aphasia and Migraines

Many people think of migraines as a severe, often recurrent type of headache. And while that can certainly be the case for many of those who suffer from them, others experience additional symptoms — some more disconcerting than others.

At Advanced Medical Care, we have significant experience helping our patients manage their migraines and find relief for all sorts of symptoms. Here, our team reviews one of the lesser-known migraine symptoms called aphasia.

Understanding aphasia

Aphasia is a neurological condition that affects your language skills and your ability to communicate. If you have aphasia, you may have difficulty speaking, reading, writing, and even understanding what someone is saying.

Aphasia is most commonly associated with traumatic brain injuries or strokes, but it can also happen temporarily during other neurological events — including migraines.

If you have aphasia, you might have difficulty finding the right words or you may mix up or garble words when you try to speak them. While some people with aphasia have problems with comprehension, others may understand what’s being said but be unable to respond clearly and appropriately.

Aphasia symptoms can range from mild to severe, and they can vary significantly from one person to another and from one episode to the next. Not surprisingly, these symptoms can be alarming, especially when they appear suddenly or occur alongside the severe head pain that happens during many migraine attacks.

Migraines and aphasia: The link

While aphasia symptoms are obviously upsetting, they’re almost always temporary when they happen with a migraine, resolving as the migraine episode itself passes. So how are the two conditions connected?

Migraines are neurological events that alter the way your brain behaves and reacts. While researchers are still learning precisely how migraines work, they do know that they’re very complex, often involving multiple factors like nerve activity, blood flow, and even muscle tension. 

Many people with migraines also experience a related phenomenon called aura. This stage or phase of the migraine is associated with unusual symptoms — for instance, visual disturbances like tunnel vision or flashing light. Migraine auras are thought to be related to a wave of altered electrical activity in the brain referred to as cortical spreading depression.

When this wave affects the vision center of your brain, it causes visual aura symptoms. Similarly, when it affects the language center of your brain, you can develop aphasia. Like other aura symptoms, aphasia dissipates over time as the wave passes and the migraine moves into its next phase.

Don’t ignore aphasia

Now that you know how aphasia and migraine are linked, it can be tempting to ignore your symptoms and wait for them to pass, especially if you have a history of migraines.

But while aphasia can be associated with migraine headaches, it can also be a sign of something far more serious, like a stroke. In these instances, waiting for symptoms to subside can lead to long-term or even life-threatening consequences. This is especially true if aphasia occurs outside of your normal migraine pattern.

For this reason, always seek care for aphasia, particularly if it happens suddenly, if symptoms are unusually severe, or if they’re accompanied by other signs of stroke, like facial drooping or weakness on one side of your body.

Even if you have a history of migraines with aphasia, calling our office is important for determining if additional testing or in-person evaluation is warranted. When it comes to your health and wellness, it’s always better to err on the side of caution.

If you have migraines with or without aphasia, we can help you decipher your symptoms and manage them more effectively. To find out how, request an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Advanced Medical Care in Forest Hills, Queens, and Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York.