New Clue to Brain Freeze
April 23, 2012 -- Ice cream lovers, here's hope! Researchers may be one step closer to understanding one of the most baffling brain phenomena, the infamous "brain freeze."
The reasons behind the nearly instantaneous headache brought on by a lick of ice cream or a sip of an ice-cold drink have remained a mystery for years.
But a new study suggests rapid changes in blood flow to the brain may help explain the often debilitating pain of brain freeze as well as other types of headaches like migraines.
Researchers found sipping ice-cold water caused an abrupt increase in blood flow to a major artery in the brain that was then followed by the familiar headache-like pain.
If further studies confirm these results, researchers say developing treatments that control blood flow in the brain may help relieve the pain of brain freeze as well as other types of headaches.
Weird Body Quirks: From Brain Freeze to Hiccupping
The reasons behind the nearly instantaneous headache brought on by a lick of ice cream or a sip of an ice-cold drink have remained a mystery for years.
But a new study suggests rapid changes in blood flow to the brain may help explain the often debilitating pain of brain freeze as well as other types of headaches like migraines.
Researchers found sipping ice-cold water caused an abrupt increase in blood flow to a major artery in the brain that was then followed by the familiar headache-like pain.
If further studies confirm these results, researchers say developing treatments that control blood flow in the brain may help relieve the pain of brain freeze as well as other types of headaches.
Weird Body Quirks: From Brain Freeze to Hiccupping