BOSTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Migraine sufferers with heightened sensitivity to light, sound and pain, may have headache-related structural changes in their brains, U.S. researchers said.

   Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston said they've discovered evidence of this sensitivity to sensory information in a certain area of the brain, Ivanhoe Newswire reported Wednesday. In their study, they found the somatosensory cortex was, on average, 21 percent thicker in people with migraines than in people without migraine. The somatosensory cortex is the main sensory receptive area for touch.

   "Repeated migraine attacks may lead to, or be the result of, these structural changes in the brain," said study author Dr. Nouchine Hadjikhani. "Most of these people had been suffering from migraines since childhood, so the long-term over-stimulation of the sensory fields in the cortex could explain these changes. It's also possible that people who develop migraines are naturally more sensitive to stimulation."

   Hadjikhani said people with migraine more likely suffer from other sensitivity conditions as well, such as jaw and back pain, and sensitive skin. The discovery, he said, could help explain why those conditions are common in people with the debilitating headaches.

   The findings were published online in Neurology.

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