> Which affliction is known in the scientific community as "sphenopalatineganglioneuralgia?"And the answer: brain freeze. Photo credit: JI SUB JEONG/HUFFPOSTAlso known as an ice cream headache, brainfreeze occurs when you eat or drink something very cold, and then feel pain inyour forehead or temples. To ease brain freeze, doctors say you can press yourtongue against the roof of your mouth, or drink warm water.Brain freeze is somewhat of a rite of passage when enjoying melty summer treats.While the sensation is unpleasant, it is harmless – the brain is actually unableto feel pain despite its millions of neurons. The sensation of brain freezecomes from a rapid changing in the temperature in the back of the throat, at thejuncture of the internal carotid artery. This artery feeds blood to the brain,and the receptors in the outer coverings – called the meninges – dilate andcontract as a result of the cold. Your brain perceives these changes as pain,thus the brain freeze. Interestingly, these momentary freezes can help develop our understanding ofheadaches. Studying the dilation and contraction of the meninges provideshelpful information about the way headache mechanisms work. Better yet, sincebrain freezes are felt momentarily, there are no long-term effects of theinduced headache whatsoever. If you experience a brain freeze, it's easy to solve. Simply remove the coldtreat from your mouth, and press your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Sippingwarm drinks will also help solve the phantom headache. And now, a joke.What happens when you get brain freeze? I don't know about you, but iscream. Learn more about the ice cream headache below.