Maine Public, international media interview Borkum about migraine research
Maine Public spoke with University of Maine adjunct associate professor of psychology Jonathan Borkum about his latest research that theorizes migraine attacks may be the body’s natural way of protecting and repairing itself from toxins in the brain. Borkum said migraine symptoms may have a restorative purpose, to relieve the brain from what he calls “oxidant stress.” “Oxidation is a class of chemical reactions that is very common in the body, and that serve certain useful functions. But when the oxidative reactions exceed the body’s ability to control them, then they cause damage, and the body needs mechanisms for correcting that damage,” he said. Borkum’s findings, recently published in the journal Headache, also may point to a shift in the approach to medications used to help prevent migraines, Maine Public reported. “It suggests that the next iteration of preventive medications will be things that either reduce oxidative stress or reduce that vulnerability to oxidative stress, or that deliver growth factors to the brain, essentially taking the job away from migraines,” he said. The Bangor Daily News also published the Maine Public article. WVII (Channel 7), Medi Magazine, Psylex, netralnews.com, arsratio, SME Primar, Serwis Zdrowie and Medical Insider also reported on Borkum’s research.