Medical Dictionary: Headaches

In any given year, almost 90% of men and 95% of women experience pain from a headache. This medical dictionary covers the terms used in the report, Headaches: Treating and preventing migraine and other headaches, and includes details on different forms of headaches — such as migraine, sinus, and tension headaches — the causes, the symptoms, the treatments, and how to find relief from the pain.

analgesics: Medications that relieve pain.

aura: Neurological symptoms, such as flashing lights or a blind spot, that may precede a migraine headache.

biofeedback: A therapy that uses specialized devices to help individuals learn how to influence the function of organs or body systems that aren’t usually thought to be under conscious control.

cluster headache: A severe headache on one side of the head, occurring as part of a series of similar attacks and lasting for an hour or two.

computed tomography (CT): A diagnostic technique in which x-rays are taken from many different directions and a computer integrates the resulting data to produce cross-sectional images of body parts.

ergots: Substances derived from a fungus that grows on rye and other grains; often used to treat headache.

giant-cell arteritis: A condition involving inflammation of blood vessels; causes headache and sometimes leads to blindness.

ice-pick headache: A sudden, brief, severe stab of pain in the head.

magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): A diagnostic technique using powerful electromagnets, radiofrequency waves, and a computer to produce well-defined images of the body’s internal structures.

migraine headache: A headache, usually occurring only on one side of the head, sometimes preceded by visual disturbances and often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light or noise.

migraine with aura: A migraine headache preceded by neurological symptoms that may include visual disturbances such as scintillations — sensation of flashing lights or lines — or a blind spot; also known as classic migraine.

migraine without aura: A migraine headache not preceded by neurological symptoms; also known as common migraine.

neurotransmitter: A chemical that permits nerve signals to bridge the gap, or synapse, between nerve cells.

nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID): One of a class of drugs that reduce inflammation and pain.

paroxysmal hemicrania: A disorder resembling cluster headache, but with shorter and more frequent attacks.

post-traumatic headache: A headache resulting from a head or neck injury, sometimes persisting for a year or more after the trauma.

prodrome: Symptoms that precede a migraine headache by hours or days, including changes in mood, appetite, or activity level.

scintillations: The perception of flashing lights or lines that sometimes occurs during the aura of a migraine headache.

scotoma: White spots sometimes evident during the aura of a migraine headache.

serotonin: A neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep and appetite, mediate moods, and inhibit pain.

tension headache: A headache, usually mild or moderate in intensity, not accompanied by other symptoms; pain is usually felt throughout the head, across the forehead, or in the back of the head.

thunderclap headache: A sudden, excruciating headache that may be the result of bleeding in the head.

tricyclic antidepressants: A class of medications that are thought to work by increasing the availability of serotonin and norepinephrine to nerve cell receptors.

trigger points: Very sensitive areas, usually in the back of the neck, that occur in some people with tension or migraine headache; they are tender and, if touched, can prompt a headache.

triptans: A class of medications that work by constricting blood vessels in the head and perhaps by inhibiting inflammation.