What is the phenomenon behind a brain freeze?

The phenomenon is also known as sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia. It refers to the temporary headache caused by drinking or eating extremely cold foods quickly. It occurs due to: 1. Contact of cold substances with the palate cause the vessels to co... read more

“Brain freeze” is a colloquial term. A truly frozen brain is not a functioning brain; or in humans, even a living brain. If you mean a momentary alteration of attention or concentration, well, if you become a neuroscientist and come up with the neurophysiological and neurochemical causes of a “brain freeze,” there’s a Nobel Prize in it for ya. read more

A brain freeze has you clutching your head in agony, ice cream lying forgotten on the ground. Or, if you have a higher pain tolerance than this writer, you experience a brief, intense headache. Either way, that ice cream is a little less delicious now. read more

No, your brain doesn't actually become frozen. Brain freeze happens when a cold substance, like ice cream, is introduced behind the nose and palate, Lauren Natbony, MD, a neurologist at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, tells Health. read more