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Papers of the Week


Papers: 6 Jul 2019 - 12 Jul 2019


Pharmacology/Drug Development

PAIN TYPE:
Migraine/Headache


2019 Jul


Headache


59 Suppl 2

Emerging Treatment Targets for Migraine and Other Headaches.

Authors

Bertels Z, Pradhan A A A
Headache. 2019 Jul; 59 Suppl 2:50-65.
PMID: 31291018.

Abstract

Migraine is a complex disorder that is characterized by an assortment of neurological and systemic effects. While headache is the most prominent feature of migraine, a host of symptoms affecting many physiological functions are also observed before, during, and after an attack. Furthermore, migraineurs are heterogeneous and have a wide range of responses to migraine therapies. The recent approval of calcitonin gene-related-peptide based therapies has opened up the treatment of migraine and generated a renewed interest in migraine research and discovery. Ongoing advances in migraine research have identified a number of other promising therapeutic targets for this disorder. In this review, we highlight emergent treatments within the following biological systems: pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptdie, 2 non-mu opioid receptors that have low abuse liability – the delta and kappa opioid receptors, orexin, and nitric oxide-based therapies. Multiple mechanisms have been identified in the induction and maintenance of migraine symptoms; and this divergent set of targets have highly distinct biological effects. Increasing the mechanistic diversity of the migraine tool box will lead to more treatment options and better patient care.