It should be noted that while the body is known to conduct
hormonal activity in response to sensations like
taste, especially in conjunction with
memories activated by these sensations (such as a possible memorable association between tasting sweetness and then receiving sugar to the
bloodstream), the massive majority of hormone release is done in direct response to levels of the substance in question (in this case
sugar) in the blood, through
homeostatic mechanisms. Additionally, while it is possible that in some remote
physiologies a false
sweetener (which could be
aspartame,
saccharine,
stevia,
sucralose, or anything remotely sweet by this reasoning) could cause a premature release of
insulin, it is highly unlikely that this would occur repeatedly, as your body would not receive any reinforcement to its standard that sweetness and sugar intake are associated. Look at
Pavlov's dogs, for evidence--repeated stimulus with no reinforcement produces a reduced reaction to the stimulus (because the dogs aren't
dummies, and hell, neither is
your body).
Migraines can be triggered by any number of things, not all of which are scientifically understood, including
chocolate and other foods, depending wholly on the individual. It is entirely possible that migraines could result from something which
metabolizes from aspartame, or which results tangentially from your body's contact with the chemical.
Migraines are
not likely to be indicators of possible
brain damage.
Furthermore,
advice to the world:
If you like it,
enjoy it. If you dislike it, do not enjoy it. Do not be quick to tout a product's medical drawbacks because it tastes funny.
Asparagus tastes funny, but it doesn't cause
brain damage.
Question what you will, but don't take scientific sides on the basis of
taste. Enough evidence exists to indicate that aspartame is perfectly safe, including the FDA approval process, which is more frequently called excessively rigorous than not.
By the way, it should be very much expected that a corporation would fund scientific surveys to determine the toxicity of its products. Funding does not imply corruption--keep in mind we're talking about artificial sweeteners, here, not the X-Files.