What indicates the onset of a migraine?

• A. Fever
• B. Nausea
• C. Headache
• D. Aura

Answer: (D)

Aura signals the start of a migraine in many people. It’s a transient neurological disturbance that tends to precede the headache, often presenting as visual changes (like zigzag lines or flashing lights) that develop gradually and last minutes to about an hour. This aura reflects a wave of cortical spreading depression that briefly disrupts brain activity and then resolves, after which the headache phase commonly follows. Fever is not part of a migraine and points toward infection. Nausea can occur with migraines but it’s not a reliable indicator of onset, and headache itself is the main symptom of the attack rather than the trigger of its start. So, the aura best indicates the onset of a migraine.