Flash in the Brain

[CRRao]

I am 46 years old man.  Working as a Engineer in a private company.
This is the third time I recognized something is going on in my brain- in the duration of about a month.
The following are the symptoms which every time repeating at late in the night.

1. Initially I listen (feel) a sound like jjjjuuupppp (cut a tiny metal wire when it is in tension)
2. and at the same time I also see bright light ON and then OFF.
I am worrying, some of the nerves are getting cut in the brain!!!!!!!!
But I never had any pain.
My work is normal cool. I don't feel much of tension.
I use cell phone but not much of time.

Kindly let me know if anything is going wrong in the neuron system ?????

Regards
Ratnajee

[CRRao]

Dear Dr.Greg,

am so kind of your answers given in the reply email.

I will post my problem if it repeats again.

Best Regards
Ratnajee

[ggreg]

Hi Ratanajee,
Could be a few different things.  One of the most common reasons for a flash of light and a strange sound in the brain is the "aura" of a migraine headache, and some people ONLY get auras for migraines and don't have a true painful headache.  Another reason is changes in chemistry of the brain, and by that I mean a change in medication, like not enough of the SSRI antidepressants can cause "brain zaps" which usually doesn't have a light flash, and also  being around chemicals in the workplace or elsewhere can cause both symptoms together.  A third reason is called, of all things, "Exploding Brain Syndrome," which I forget how come people get that, but there are many websites that talk about it online, and it combines a flash of light with a loud sound of varying kinds.  Another possibility is Multiple Sclerosis or MS, and that is when plaques form on nerves, and generally speaking MS first shows itself as a problem with the eyesight.  And a rare cause can be an aneurysm in the brain, where a blood vessel stretches out in a weak place, which can lead to a rupture and bleeding in the brain, but this is almost always accompanied by lots of pain.

Now, there are lots of reasons for JUST noises, which mainly have to do with the inner canal of the ear, and also reasons for just light flashes, which mainly have to do with the eye, of course.  Sometimes these very long lists of causes can merge, and I've given you a few that are most common.  Obviously you should tell a family doc about this, he should refer you to a neurologist, who may be more familiar with the two symptoms together, and perhaps give you a diagnosis and maybe some medicines.  In the meantime, you CAN take a natural product called "Melatonin," which you can get at a health food store, and it will help you sleep better.  It's the same thing in the skin that darkens when we go into sunlight.  GG