Researcher works to unlock mysteries of migraines

An interview with Robert Shapiro, professor of neurology at the University of Vermont, practicing neurologist and headache specialist.

"I know a lot of members of Congress have migraine," he said. "You cannot be very public about it." Why? Admitting you have a disabling condition can be "a career-killer." Rep. Michele Bachmann's campaign last year for the Republican presidential nomination, whatever its other challenges, was not enhanced by her acknowledgment that she suffered from migraine.

"I believe there will come a point, hopefully soon, when it will dawn on enough members of Congress where they will realize they can be a hero by pushing on an open door and saying, we have a problem that we can help fix."
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Migraine isn't the only neglected condition, he said.

"Cluster headache is a good case in point," he said. "Cluster headache is widely regarded as the most severe pain a human can experience — that's not hyperbole. It has a population prevalence that's approximately the same as multiple sclerosis."

Over the past decade, Shapiro said, NIH has directed $1.872 billion to multiple sclerosis research, which he said is warranted. By contrast, less than $2 million has gone to cluster headaches over the last 25 years. "It's completely invisible," he said.

Complete article here:
http://www.freep.com/article/20130516/FEATURES08/305160130/migraines-Robert-Shapiro-mystery

I tend to agree that migraine and headaches are a very neglected sphere of research.