Serene Branson Had 'Complex Migraine,' Her Physician Says

Serene Branson--the Los Angeles reporter whose lapse into incoherent speech during a live report on Sunday sparked fears that she had an on-air stroke--suffered a "complex migraine," her physician told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday.

Dr. Neil Martin, the chief of neurosurgerery at the UCLA Medical Center, gave the diagnosis to the Times.

A complex migraine is often mistaken for a stroke. People can suffer loss of vision and have difficulty speaking when one is occurring.

The diagnosis comes after nearly a week of speculation about what exactly happened to Branson. She was giving a live report on the Grammys for L.A. station CBS-2 when she suddenly had trouble forming words. Branson was clearly disturbed by what was happening to her, and the station quickly cut away.

On Monday, after reports she had been hospitalized and had had a stroke, the station put out a statement saying that Branson had been taken home after being checked by paramedics. That evening, though, CBS-2 said that Branson had gone to a doctor to undergo medical tests--the results of which were revealed on Thursday.