According to an article published in The Lancet, migraine is the second most incapacitating disease in people from 20 to 50 years old, and the seventh globally. It affects 12 % of the population, and women above all. In Spain, the cost of this disorder exceeds 1,800 million euros every year, and in the European Union more than 111,000 million annually. However, it is seemingly invisible, carries a stigma and is underdiagnosed and undertreated, despite being the leading reason for seeking medical advice in neurology. Migraine causes considerable suffering and prevents those who endure it from leading their everyday life. I wanted to change that, to genuinely improve people’s lives.
To have real impact, I had to bring science to the pathology. So with the support of ”la Caixa” Foundation, at Hospital Vall d’Hebron we have inaugurated the Migraine Adaptive Brain Center, a pioneering space in Spain in which we have integrated patient care with a multidisciplinary, holistic team of researchers. Understanding the migrainous brain also enables us to better comprehend how the brain functions and how it adapts to the environment to guarantee adequate cognitive performance, optimise our survival and improve health. This can have an impact on society in general. There are lifestyles that are more beneficial for our brain, and I want to contribute to scientifically defining what they are, and to instil the concept of brain friendly.
