Hassenstein wrote, and wrote poetry about the horrors but also the inherent privilege of migraine with aura and propose, as a visionary in the 80's a bridge to the current Migraine Research counts Prof. Dr. Dr. hc Bernhard Hassenstein to the well-known researchers in the fields of behavioral biology and biological cybernetics. He has been involved from 1968 to 1972 of the Science and from 1974 to 1981 Chairman of the Commission on Lawyer of the child "at the Ministry of Culture of Baden-Wuerttemberg. He is a member of the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina.
Thanks to him, we not only have such beautiful words as supporting Ling, clasp globe and, less beautiful, peak forward model, hate Stein wrote a poem about his entertaining essay, including migraine 70th Birthday of the publisher Klaus Piper. That was 1981. Hassenstein, Born in 1922, suffered since childhood migraine with neurological symptoms of migraine aura. With his permission I publish this essay that, with the poem in a corrected form he appears.
Hassenstein also drew the course of his visual impairment in migraine in its field, much like a now publish a study in the journal PLoS ONE
. Hassenstein come as early as 1981 to conclude his "private migraines could one day help to better inform [...] and subsequently perhaps to relieve, cure or prevention. For the curves show that the disturbance in the brain runs out ...." These and educate on the need of the migraine with aura, more after the essay.
[skip Essay] 
dedication of Bernhard Hassenstein 70th Birthday of the publisher Klaus Piper A ghost in the tea By Bernhard Hassenstein
What topic can I write something both entertaining and academically? l select: "Five Variations on my migraines.
1934
The French work was rated four - at that time meant "poor". As we wrote it twelve years old boys, I was in the left part of my visual field at once seen a picture, but a bright shimmering silver curtain. So I could not see how else left on the issue of my neighbors, who knew a lot more vocabulary than I do. At the end of the day began nagging headache in the left temple. I was bad, and I was sent home at my request.
A few days later we learned the notes. One was four unfamiliar to me. I went to the teacher I loved and revered, he described the incident and asked him not to evaluate the work. He answered with solid and friendly voice, so that no resistance was possible word, "Then write better next time!"
1946
meantime, I thought the cause of the painful attacks found to have: A cup of black tea, it seemed to me, exactly twenty-four hours later, caused a migraine attack. But at that time in the postwar years, tea was a rare treat, the order has been served sooner the better one wanted to make the guest happy - a sign of affection. Ungern repudiated the gift, but the visual disturbances and pain, which then were threatened, not fun.
order to escape the dilemma, I rhymed poem. There was the rejection of the tea a lovely shape, and the disappointment was prevented:
migraine
in tea, as well as he me tastes
is for me a ghost, hidden
enters with the first sip,
comes off right at the hyoid bone,
pushes the tube up then,
makes the oval window on
and then swims through the inward ear
up to the auditory nerve Knochentor.
After he tortured there by, he
is where it all undermined.
He soon realizes the dull sultry,
and it creates anxiety. As a ray of light can
hope it was
the optic nerve a little door open!
But he is digging for half an hour
in the tangled fiber bundles
and noted then, all involved in it,
player, his plan had failed him.
Then he gets into his left temple, as if he
Should that it better there,
begins to hammer and drill
from the parietal to the ears, until he
- after hours - then flies away.
But believe me that it is enough for me.
why I can - may it not annoy you -
enjoy nothing but the smell of tea.
not for the human reader is familiar with the anatomy nachgetragen: Should really be a "Teegeist" to travel from the mouth into the interior of the left temporal do, so he would discover in fact no better way than by the throat by the Eustachian tube into the middle ear, then across the "oval window into the inner ear, and into the path of the acoustic nerve to the brain.
By the way, the coupling between migraine and tea now been resolved and now I enjoy black tea without it during the day to regret it.
1956
In the decades around the 35th to 55 Age - no longer - each migraine attack was preceded by a curious phenomenon: just before the start of the "scintillating scotoma" fell out of one or two minutes, a part of the left visual field. I saw a man on, he apparently lacked the left eye, and I had to go thither, and to correct the deception.
An experience before was: I finally had to get an entry ticket to the inlet Berlin Bert-Brecht-Theater. When releasing the jacket I saw the wardrobe woman's face and was shocked: Just at this moment announced to a migraine attack. He would ruin the theater thoroughly! Fortunately for me I had "inside" and "outside" confused: The woman had a wardrobe zugeschwollenes eye!
Hopefully it was nothing serious.
1960
In Freiburg I was told by the old Professor Hoffmann, whose research on each physiological reflexes are known: After the war, when everything nadir destroyed and no more money for scientific Investigations were, he explored his own eye migraine: He produced very easily and quickly changing light and synchronized it with the flicker of his Migräneskotoms. He noted the frequency and found that they corresponded about the alpha waves of the electroencephalogram.
Did so even I might look into it through my eyes migraine the inherent privilege in my own brain?
1979
follow my scintillating scotoma For decades, no more headaches. I am afraid about their appearance only in situations in which I am dependent on my ability to read.
Recently serve but my migraine attacks, even the Science. represents
In the visual cortex, the surface of the brain in mind, our view point by point. The accuracy of the image is in the center of the visual field is greatest and, after the the sides. A millimeter in the visual cortex represents a small piece of the central retina or a much larger piece of the retinal margin. For me this is not a theory. During the migraine, I can see it:
At the beginning of each attack flickers only a tiny dot in the center of the visual field. It gradually increases in area and becomes a shimmering curtain to the right or left, slowly enlarging over the field contracts and on its outer edge disappears. From the angular velocity of the movement - so I said two years ago a nerve physiologist - might be possible to determine the location of the disturbance. Since then, I look for the beginning of an attack a piece of chalk, choose a firm fixation and mark every two minutes, the apparent position of the scintillating scotoma to a wall panel, a cabinet door or on the desktop. The distance to the canvas and fair I think it constant. Three measurements are to me so far succeeded. The result surprised me:
takes the angular velocity of the phenomenon from the center to the edge of the field, and indeed so evenly that their record is an exact parabola. Translated into semi-logarithmic scale, the curve for a precise line. My colleague has promised me: never before had such a clean measurement of success. Now may I hope maybe one day my private migraine could contribute to increasing the awareness of the causes of these for most patients as painful disorder - and subsequently, perhaps to relieve, cure or prevention. For the curves show that the disorder is not, as alleged in the poem takes place in the optic nerve, but in the brain.
1981
Do I have kept his word and offered to science fun? If yes, has a Motto of my childhood proven: Who draws the damage value, has a cheerful disposition. My migraine is not the only example for this, but one of the best.
From: Pflieger M, Piper, ER (Ed.). Klaus Piper to 7O. 27th Birthday March 1981. 'Piper-Verlag, Münschen 1981st © 2004 Bernhard Hassenstein, reprinted with his permission
Clarification is Not
2004 wrote Prof. Hassenstein me, "If I would publish the paper again today, I could go two more ' Variations on Add. " I met him for the first time in the middle 90s in the winter seminars by Manfred Eigen, "Biophysical Chemistry, Molecular Biology and Cybernetics of Cell Functions" in the Swiss monastery. There he confirmed me in the decision to limit my research not only on basic research of migraine, but me and with the clinical symptoms of migraine with aura to deal scientifically. I was fascinated that the precise observation of "help better inform the cause of this patient as for most excruciating disorder" of migraine symptoms in a can and subsequently perhaps to relieve, cure or prevent. "
One of his central points was that its' traces prove that it is not the problem, as alleged in the poem takes place in the optic nerve, but in the brain. "This approach, therefore, the precise description of the spatiotemporal evolution of visual impairment to learn about point of origin but also the source mechanism, I have been following until now. This target can agree also well with the enlightened aspect, the equally well Hassenstein was very important because I have many interesting reports only on the Internet learned.
How important is it to educate about these symptoms also can, at best, in the words be described by those affected. The following letters are in response to a migraine-site edited by Dr. Klaus Podoll (UK Aachen) and me. Given there German version of the site is now reachable under new address
. The emphasis in bold in the now following letters are mine and should draw the attention to how useful.
"For over a year I am suffering from the Mirgräne aura without subsequent headache, but vision problems word finding disorder and poor hearing. I was thoroughly examined with CT, etc., and the diagnosis was Mirgräne without headache. I am very pleased to have found your website because it is beautiful, the symptoms that you yourself has to see portrayed affected by others. Ehrlich
said I was a little skeptical about the diagnosis - because: migraine without headache with aura ??!!"
(E. Schmidt, Email to Markus Dahlem, 18 October 2002)
"I finally page found help to me really. I, unfortunately, for about 2 years, well
if I knew I would be smarter , but according to various information on your HP [Homepage] it seems to have migraine with aura. "
(Rosa, Email to Markus Dahlem, 15 . October 2003)
"I must take this opportunity to say that www.migraene-aura.de [NEW: www.migraine-aura.org/de] by far the best site on the subject.
Sometimes the only comfort when I am once again plagued by an aura and the world seems to go down. Continued success. "
(Jürgen Morweiser, Email to Markus Dahlem, 19 April 2004)
" First of a huge praise for the informative website. I have, like the other letters, yet found anyone who suffers from the same symptoms, and as you get to be a matter to the brooding and doubts. The symptoms, which are shown here cover almost exactly with mine. "" Could you still might add that my headache and nausea does not matter, but the aura
just scares Because you can have absolutely no influence on it. Incidentally, I had the first migraine with aura with approximately 12 years. "
(YR, Email to Markus Dahlem, 19 and 21 August 2005)
bridge to current migraine research
series of measurements of the distance of the scintillating scotoma of the fixation point. Hassenstein Bernhard, 16.11.1980, 15.15 clock.
In a letter to Stefan C. Müller, 7 March, 1996, described how he used his Hassenstein migraine attacks science . Here's an excerpt:
"You see, my four measurements are managed. At the moment of the beginning of the problem - a tiny flickering point usually in the center of the field - I called my technical assistant, Ms Ursula Bock, so she could immediately begin to register. I sat down in front of a wall unit at 3 m in my room and my gaze fixed on the keyhole staked key. Mrs. Bock had a piece of chalk in his hand. About every 2 minutes they had to mark with chalk on the cabinet a place to be in the just arrived the Flimmersoktom seemed. But I controlled it, "to the right - even more - hold back a little bit - mark now!" - Or something like that. The time of marking was noted. After completion of the observation measured the distances of the markers Mrs. Bock from the key. Then they calculated the apparent visual angle as arc tangent of the distance from the key hole, divided by the 3-m distance. Was, of course, all this only in the "lucky" cases possible;. When a seizure is happening now in the service and my rehearsed staff was available "
similar measurements as described Hassenstein they were in the U.S. by an engineer carried out. This data was Prof. Nouchine Hadjikhani (Harvard Medical School & EPFL) and I demonstrate in a magnetic resonance imaging study
that victims of migraine see with their aura of convolutions in the truest sense of the word. This allowed us extensive insight into the phenomenon underlying pattern formation process. This finding suggests new therapies that will be in Berlin at the Technical University now explored in two externally funded projects in the coming years.
Have you carried out similar measurements, or do you perform such measurements in the future? If you provide us such information be made available, you can make an active contribution to migraine research. For detailed instructions please contact me (dahlem@physik.tu-berlin.de).
