Some headaches can be mild and infrequent, but others are deeply painful and can occur very often. Such severe or frequent headaches, including migraines, can seriously detract from an individual’s quality of life and hamper their daily function. This is an area of medicine where much remains unknown, and any progress in gaining insights into the physiological basis of the problem has the potential to significantly improve many lives.

The Burstein lab is currently particularly focused on migraines and has made significant progress in understanding how migraines alter the nervous system. We investigate the neurobiology behind migraine triggers and have examined in recent years the physiological basis of light and touch sensitivity in some migraine sufferers.