New research describes for the first time how a spreading wave of disruption and the flow of fluid in the brain triggers headaches, detailing the connection between the neurological symptoms associated with aura and the migraine that follows.
University of Rochester Medical CenterJul 4 2024 The study also identifies new proteins that could be responsible for headaches and may serve as foundation for new migraine drugs.
The cause of the aura is a phenomenon called cortical spreading depression, a temporary depolarization of neurons and other cells caused by diffusion of glutamate and potassium that radiates like a wave across the brain, reducing oxygen levels and impairing blood flow. Most frequently, the depolarization event is located in the visual processing center of the brain cortex, hence the visual symptoms that first herald a coming headache.
The most widely accepted theory is that nerve endings resting on the outer surface of the membranes that enclose the brain are responsible for the headaches that follow an aura. The new study, which was conducted in mice, describes a different route and identifies proteins, many of which are potential new drug targets, that may be responsible for activating the nerves and causing pain.
Migraine-associated proteins double during brain wave activity Analyzing the molecules, the researchers identified twelve proteins called ligands that bind with receptors on sensory nerves found in the trigeminal ganglion, potentially causing these cells to activate. The concentrations of several of these proteins found in CSF more than doubled following a cortical spreading depression.
Migraine Blood Depression Drugs Ganglion Headache Nerve Nervous System Neurons Pain Research
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