One of the most common neurological conditions in the world is migraines; nearly 1/4th of the working population suffers from this condition and exhibits a large variety of triggers. The current treatment method for migraine uses a few different medications for all migraines, regardless of triggers. Our hypothesis is that there is a specific relationship between the triggers of migraines and the electrical changes in the brain during migraines. The study incorporates two different data collection methods: electrophysiological tests (Electroencephalogram (EEG), Electrocardiogram (ECG), Galvanic Skin Response GSR, and a pulsometer) that record the unique electrical signals of the body and brain, and surveys that record daily exposures and experiences to extrapolate possible triggers. The participants will be 88 individuals from Embry-Riddle, comprising both men and women who experience migraines, with a ratio of men to women who experience migraines similar to the men-to-women ratio at ERAU. The large variety of data collected makes up for the low participant count and small population. Our preliminary results reveal a correlation between the triggers of “Allergies,” “Anxiety/Stress,” and “Dehydration” to the combined symptoms of “Aura and Minor Pain,” “Aura,” and “Aura, Major Pain, Fatigue, and Dizziness” respectively. The data also shows that generalized “Aura” is the most common symptom, and the most common trigger is “Allergies.” This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2026 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.
Sandell et al. (Fri,) studied this question.