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60 free Migraine trivia questions with answers — science & nature quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This migraine trivia quiz is for the roughly one person in seven who lives with the condition, and for anyone curious about what is actually going on. It starts with the basics: the four phases of an attack, how long an aura lasts, what a scintillating scotoma looks like, the 5-4-3-2-1 diagnostic rule, and why the word itself comes from the Greek for half a skull. From there it moves into mechanism and epidemiology: the trigeminal nerve, cortical spreading depression, the CGRP molecule, why women from puberty onwards suffer up to four times as often as men, and what status migrainosus and medication-overuse headache are. The treatment questions run from ergot, first used in 1868, to the isolation of ergotamine, the arrival of sumatriptan in 1991 and the CGRP antibody approved in 2018. The history section visits the Ebers Papyrus, Hippocrates, Galen, Hildegard of Bingen's visions, Thomas Willis and the French librarian who first split migraine into two types. There are also questions on the odder corners: Alice in Wonderland syndrome, abdominal migraine in children, and why opioids are a bad idea. Every answer was checked against Wikipedia's articles on migraine and its treatments, and each question links to the page that establishes it. Fifty-one questions, free, with an explanation after every answer.
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Q 01What does the Greek root of the word 'migraine' mean?
Pain in half of the head
Hemikrania became the Latin hemicrania, then medieval French migrania, and reached English in the 15th century.
Q 02What was an early English spelling of migraine that also meant low spirits?
Megrim
The word covered general malaise and passing whims as well as severe headaches.
Q 03Roughly what share of the world's population is affected by migraine in a given year?
14%
That is about 1.16 billion people, making it the third most disabling neurological condition.
Q 04A migraine attack is described in how many phases?
4
A warning phase, an aura, the pain itself and a hangover-like tail; not everyone experiences all of them.
Q 05What is the name for the warning phase up to 48 hours before the pain begins?
Prodrome
Symptoms can include yawning, food cravings, a stiff neck, mood swings and sensitivity to smells.
Q 06How long does a migraine aura typically last?
5-60 minutes
In rare cases, called persistent aura, symptoms remain after the hour is up.
Q 07Roughly what proportion of people with migraine experience aura?
30%
Women are more likely than men to have migraine without aura.
Q 08What is the term for the flickering, zigzag visual disturbance of a migraine aura?
Scintillating scotoma
It usually starts near the centre of vision and spreads outward in jagged black-and-white lines.
Q 09Visual symptoms occur in what share of migraine auras?
As many as 99%
Sensory auras such as one-sided pins and needles are the second most common, in 30 to 40 percent.
Q 10What is the discouraged popular term for an aura that comes without a headache?
Silent migraine
Experts prefer the specific term because the visual loss and sensitivities can still be disabling.
Q 11How long does the pain phase of a migraine usually last in adults?
4 to 72 hours
Younger patients tend to have shorter headaches, more often on both sides of the head.
Q 12In roughly what share of migraine attacks does the pain affect both sides of the head?
40%
The classic picture is one-sided and throbbing, but the throb is not in time with the pulse.
Q 13What is the name for a migraine attack lasting more than 72 hours despite treatment?
Status migrainosus
It can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalance and may need hospital care.
Q 21Which brain phenomenon is associated with migraine aura?
Cortical spreading depression
A wave of depolarisation crosses the cortex at 1.5 to 9.5 mm a minute, followed by suppression of neuronal activity.
Q 22Which Brazilian scientist's name is attached to spreading depression?
Leão
The visual aura of migraine may be related to the wave he first described in the 1940s.
Q 23The '5, 4, 3, 2, 1' rule for diagnosing migraine without aura begins with what?
Five or more attacks
Then a duration of 4 hours to 3 days, at least 2 listed pain features, and at least 1 associated symptom.
Q 14Nausea accompanies migraine pain in about what share of sufferers?
Almost 90%
Around a third actually vomit; many seek out a dark, quiet room.
Q 15What is the postdrome phase commonly nicknamed?
Migraine hangover
The classification defines it as the 48 hours after the pain ends; tiredness, thirst and poor concentration are typical.
Q 16Chronic migraine means headache on at least how many days a month for over three months?
15
At least eight of those days must meet the criteria for migraine.
Q 17From age 30 to 50, up to how many times as many women as men experience migraine attacks?
4
The gap opens at puberty and is most pronounced for migraine without aura.
Q 18What is the most frequently reported migraine trigger for women?
Hormonal variation
Stress comes next for both sexes; attacks tend to peak in perimenopause and ease after menopause.
Q 19Which cranial pathway carries the pain signals central to migraine?
Trigeminal nerve
The trigeminovascular system links this nerve, the meninges and blood vessels; the hypothalamus can modulate its activity.
Q 20What does CGRP, the target of the migraine drugs introduced from 2018, stand for?
Calcitonin gene-related peptide
Released from the trigeminal ganglion, it dilates meningeal blood vessels and activates pain nerve endings in the dura.
Q 24Which body first comprehensively classified migraine, in 1988?
International Headache Society
Its ICHD classification was updated in 2004 and again in 2018.
Q 25An aura accompanied by motor weakness defines which type?
Hemiplegic migraine
The familial form is one of the few single-gene migraines, inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern.
Q 26Which type can cause temporary blindness in one eye?
Retinal migraine
It is distinct from ordinary visual aura, which affects both eyes' field of view.
Q 27Abdominal migraine, with bouts of stomach pain and nausea, is mostly diagnosed in whom?
Children
Attacks average about 17 hours, and many sufferers develop typical migraine later in life.
Q 28Which perceptual disorder linked to migraine makes objects seem too large or too small?
Alice in Wonderland syndrome
Also called Todd's syndrome after a 1955 description, it is seen more in the young than in adults.
Q 29Migraine heritability is estimated at what range?
34-64%
It rarely reflects a single gene; common migraine is polygenic, with many variants each adding a little risk.
Q 30Which class of drug is first-line for moderate to severe migraine attacks?
Triptans
Gepants are used when they do not work or are unsuitable, and simple painkillers for milder attacks.