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Aura of mystery

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It begins as a slowly expanding spot of light or similar visual disturbance, often accompanied by phantom noises and other sensory distortions. People who experience such 'auras' know all too well that these early warning signs will culminate in a head-splitting migraine, yet scientists have little idea what causes the debilitating deluge of symptoms. Elie Dolgin talks to neurologists hoping to change that—by triggering auras in the laboratory in order to study them.

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Dolgin, E. Aura of mystery. Nat Med 19, 1083–1085 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0913-1083

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