WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- A U.S. study finds that people who suffer from migraine headaches appear to have less loss of cognitive function as they age than those who do not.
The researchers tracked 1,448 people, including 204 with migraines, for a period of 12 years, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. They were given cognitive tests periodically.
The migraine sufferers started out with slightly lower cognitive function but lost less. The effect was most pronounced in people who had migraines with aura -- advance warning that a migraine is coming.
Amanda Kalaydjian, a researcher with the National Institute of Mental Health and lead author of an article in the journal Neurology, said the research team was surprised by the results. She said it is possible migraine sufferers benefit from taking better care of themselves by getting more sleep and eating better, or that medication they take helps them retain cognitive function.
But the researchers wrote that the cause is more likely to be biologic.
