TY - JOUR

T1 - Human models of migraine

T2 - short-term pain for long-term gain

AU - Ashina, Messoud

AU - Hansen, Jakob Møller

AU - Á Dunga, Bára Oladóttir

AU - Olesen, Jes

PY - 2017/12

Y1 - 2017/12

N2 - Migraine is a complex disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of headache, and is one of the most prevalent and disabling neurological disorders. A key feature of migraine is that various factors can trigger an attack, and this phenomenon provides a unique opportunity to investigate disease mechanisms by experimentally inducing migraine attacks. In this Review, we summarize the existing experimental models of migraine in humans, including those that exploit nitric oxide, histamine, neuropeptide and prostaglandin signalling. We describe the development and use of these models in the discovery of molecular pathways that are responsible for initiation of migraine attacks. Combining experimental human models with advanced imaging techniques might help to identify biomarkers of migraine, and in the ongoing search for new and better migraine treatments, human models will have a key role in the discovery of future targets for more-specific and more-effective mechanism-based antimigraine drugs.

AB - Migraine is a complex disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of headache, and is one of the most prevalent and disabling neurological disorders. A key feature of migraine is that various factors can trigger an attack, and this phenomenon provides a unique opportunity to investigate disease mechanisms by experimentally inducing migraine attacks. In this Review, we summarize the existing experimental models of migraine in humans, including those that exploit nitric oxide, histamine, neuropeptide and prostaglandin signalling. We describe the development and use of these models in the discovery of molecular pathways that are responsible for initiation of migraine attacks. Combining experimental human models with advanced imaging techniques might help to identify biomarkers of migraine, and in the ongoing search for new and better migraine treatments, human models will have a key role in the discovery of future targets for more-specific and more-effective mechanism-based antimigraine drugs.

KW - Journal Article

KW - Review

U2 - 10.1038/nrneurol.2017.137

DO - 10.1038/nrneurol.2017.137

M3 - Review

C2 - 28984313

VL - 13

SP - 713

EP - 724

JO - Nature Reviews. Neurology

JF - Nature Reviews. Neurology

SN - 1759-4758

ER -