Migraine is a common headache disorder. This Primer by Ferrari and colleagues summarizes the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of migraine. Moreover, quality of life issues... Show moreMigraine is a common headache disorder. This Primer by Ferrari and colleagues summarizes the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of migraine. Moreover, quality of life issues faced by patients with migraine and future research avenues are discussed.Migraine is a common, chronic, disorder that is typically characterized by recurrent disabling attacks of headache and accompanying symptoms, including aura. The aetiology is multifactorial with rare monogenic variants. Depression, epilepsy, stroke and myocardial infarction are comorbid diseases. Spreading depolarization probably causes aura and possibly also triggers trigeminal sensory activation, the underlying mechanism for the headache. Despite earlier beliefs, vasodilation is only a secondary phenomenon and vasoconstriction is not essential for antimigraine efficacy. Management includes analgesics or NSAIDs for mild attacks, and, for moderate or severe attacks, triptans or 5HT(1B/1D) receptor agonists. Because of cardiovascular safety concerns, unreliable efficacy and tolerability issues, use of ergots to abort attacks has nearly vanished in most countries. CGRP receptor antagonists (gepants) and lasmiditan, a selective 5HT1(F) receptor agonist, have emerged as effective acute treatments. Intramuscular onabotulinumtoxinA may be helpful in chronic migraine (migraine on >= 15 days per month) and monoclonal antibodies targeting CGRP or its receptor, as well as two gepants, have proven effective and well tolerated for the preventive treatment of migraine. Several neuromodulation modalities have been approved for acute and/or preventive migraine treatment. The emergence of new treatment targets and therapies illustrates the bright future for migraine management. Show less
Mulder, I.A.; Li, M.; Vries, T. de; Qin, T.; Yanagisawa, T.; Sugimoto, K.; ... ; Ayata, C. 2020
Objective Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) pathway inhibitors are emerging treatments for migraine. CGRP-mediated vasodilation is, however, a critical rescue mechanism in ischemia. We,... Show moreObjective Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) pathway inhibitors are emerging treatments for migraine. CGRP-mediated vasodilation is, however, a critical rescue mechanism in ischemia. We, therefore, investigated whether gepants, small molecule CGRP receptor antagonists, worsen cerebral ischemia. Methods Middle cerebral artery was occluded for 12 to 60 minutes in mice. We compared infarct risk and volumes, collateral flow, and neurological deficits after pretreatment with olcegepant (single or 10 daily doses of 0.1-1mg/kg) or rimegepant (single doses of 10-100mg/kg) versus vehicle. We also determined their potency on CGRP-induced relaxations in mouse and human vessels, in vitro. Results Olcegepant (1mg/kg, single dose) increased infarct risk after 12- to 20-minute occlusions mimicking transient ischemic attacks (14/19 vs 6/18 with vehicle, relative risk = 2.21,p < 0.022), and doubled infarct volumes (p < 0.001) and worsened neurological deficits (median score = 9 vs 5 with vehicle,p = 0.008) after 60-minute occlusion. Ten daily doses of 0.1 to 1mg/kg olcegepant yielded similar results. Rimegepant 10mg/kg increased infarct volumes by 60% after 20-minute ischemia (p = 0.03); 100mg/kg caused 75% mortality after 60-minute occlusion. In familial hemiplegic migraine type 1 mice, olcegepant 1mg/kg increased infarct size after 30-minute occlusion (1.6-fold,p = 0.017). Both gepants consistently diminished collateral flow and reduced reperfusion success. Olcegepant was 10-fold more potent than rimegepant on CGRP-induced relaxations in mouse aorta. Interpretation Gepants worsened ischemic stroke in mice via collateral dysfunction. CGRP pathway blockers might thus aggravate coincidental cerebral ischemic events. The cerebrovascular safety of these agents must therefore be better delineated, especially in patients at increased risk of ischemic events or on prophylactic CGRP inhibition. ANN NEUROL 2020 Show less
Balkaya, M.; Seidel, J.L.; Sadeghian, H.; Qin, T.; Chung, D.Y.; Eikermann-Haerter, K.; ... ; Ayata, C. 2019
Several factors that modulate migraine, a common primary headache disorder, also affect susceptibility to cortical spreading depolarization (CSD). CSD is a wave of neuronal and glial depolarization... Show moreSeveral factors that modulate migraine, a common primary headache disorder, also affect susceptibility to cortical spreading depolarization (CSD). CSD is a wave of neuronal and glial depolarization and thought to underlie the migraine aura and possibly headache. Here, we tested whether caffeine, known to alleviate or trigger headache after acute exposure or chronic use/withdrawal, respectively, modulates CSD. We injected C57BL/6J mice with caffeine (30, 60, or 120 mg/kg; i.p.) once (acute) or twice per day for one or two weeks (chronic). Susceptibility to CSD was evaluated by measuring the electrical CSD threshold and by assessing KCl-induced CSD. Simultaneous laser Doppler flowmetry was used to assess CSD-induced cortical blood flow changes. Recordings were performed 15 min after caffeine/vehicle administration, or 24 h after the last dose of chronic caffeine in the withdrawal group. The latter paradigm was also tested in mice carrying the familial hemiplegic migraine type 1 R192Q missense mutation, considered a valid migraine model. Neither acute/chronic administration nor withdrawal of caffeine affected CSD susceptibility or related cortical blood flow changes, either in WT or R192Q mice. Hence, adverse or beneficial effects of caffeine on headache seem unrelated to CSD pathophysiology, consistent with the non-migrainous clinical presentation of caffeine-related headache. Show less
Cortical spreading depolarization (SD) is the electrophysiological event underlying migraine aura, and a critical contributor to secondary damage after brain injury. Experimental models of SD have... Show moreCortical spreading depolarization (SD) is the electrophysiological event underlying migraine aura, and a critical contributor to secondary damage after brain injury. Experimental models of SD have been used for decades in migraine and brain injury research; however, they are highly invasive and often cause primary tissue injury, diminishing their translational value. Here we present a non-invasive method to trigger SDs using light-induced depolarization in transgenic mice expressing channelrhodopsin-2 in neurons (Thy1-ChR2-YFP). Focal illumination (470 nm, 1-10 mW) through intact skull using an optical fiber evokes power-dependent steady extracellular potential shifts and local elevations of extracellular [K+] that culminate in an SD when power exceeds a threshold. Using the model, we show that homozygous mice are significantly more susceptible to SD (i.e., lower light thresholds) than heterozygous ChR2 mice. Moreover, we show SD susceptibility differs significantly among cortical divisions (motor, whisker barrel, sensory, visual, in decreasing order of susceptibility), which correlates with relative channelrhodopsin-2 expression. Furthermore, the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 blocks the transition to SD without diminishing extracellular potential shifts. Altogether, our data show that the optogenetic SD model is highly suitable for examining physiological or pharmacological modulation of SD in acute and longitudinal studies. Show less
Chen, S.P.; Qin, T.; Seidel, J.L.; Zheng, Y.; Eikermann, M.; Ferrari, M.D.; ... ; Eikermann-Haerter, K. 2017
The research in this thesis was aimed at investigating the central hypothesis that susceptibility to SD determines both the susceptibility to migraine with aura and the susceptibility to... Show moreThe research in this thesis was aimed at investigating the central hypothesis that susceptibility to SD determines both the susceptibility to migraine with aura and the susceptibility to hypoxic/ischemic injury in the same direction. We envisage that factors that enhance the susceptibility to SD increase the likelihood of migraine with aura as well as ischemic stroke. To this end we assess to what extent genetic, hormonal and pharmacological modulators of SD susceptibility will influence the susceptible to ischemic injury. Thus we will unravel underlying mechanisms of SD susceptibility and susceptibility to ischemic injury. Central to this research is the use of two transgenic mouse models of migraine that carry migraine-relevant FHM1 gene mutations in voltage-gated CaV2.1 Ca2+ channels. Show less
Eikermann-Haerter, K.; Arbel-Ornath, M.; Yalcin, N.; Yu, E.S.; Kuchibhotla, K.V.; Yuzawa, I.; ... ; Ayata, C. 2015
