Toothaches, migraines and a number of other afflictions are often accompanied by that ever-present throbbing pain that seems to follow the beat of an unwelcome drum. Though many patients and physicians alike have long thought the pounding is associated with the heart beating, researchers have found that brain waves are to blame.

The finding comes from neurologists at the University of Florida College of Medicine, led by Dr. Andrew Ahn. They first noticed that the palpitations associated with some forms of pain did not synchronize with those of the heart rate they monitored.

The team notes that previously, physicians have associated “arterial pulsations” with the throbbing that occurs at the site of the injury. In fact, some medicines were designed to constrict blood vessel walls in order to diminish the effect they associated with the heart, they say.

At the time Dr. Ahn and colleagues first noticed throbbing pain did not correlate with heartbeats, there were no further explanations for where throbbing pain is initiated. However, with the researchers’ latest case study, they have found new answers in unexpected places: the brain, to be precise.