New directions in migraine

BMC Medicine

Minireview

Greg A Weir¹  M Zameel Cader¹ 

[1] Medical Research Council Functional Genomics Unit, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK;

关键词: Migraine;    Dorsal Root Ganglion;    Naltrexone;    Trigeminal Ganglion;    Migraine With Aura;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1741-7015-9-116

 received in 2011-06-10, accepted in 2011-10-25,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Migraine is a highly prevalent neurological disorder imparting a major burden on health care around the world. The primary pathology may be a state of hyperresponsiveness of the nervous system, but the molecular mechanisms are yet to be fully elucidated. We could now be at a watershed moment in this respect, as the genetic loci associated with typical forms of migraine are being revealed. The genetic discoveries are the latest step in the evolution of our understanding of migraine, which was initially considered a cerebrovascular condition, then a neuroinflammatory process and now primarily a neurogenic disorder. Indeed, the genetic findings, which have revealed ion channels and transporter mutations as causative of migraine, are a powerful argument for the neurogenic basis of migraine. Modulations of ion channels leading to amelioration of the migraine 'hyperresponsive' brain represent attractive targets for drug discovery. There lies ahead an exciting and rapidly progressing phase of migraine translational research, and in this review we highlight recent genetic findings and consider how these may affect the future of migraine neurobiology and therapy.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Weir and Cader; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011