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The reason is the increased endogenous production of the inflammatory messenger CGRP, which serves as the starting point for the latest migraine medication.Berlin. “Women are three times more likely to be affected by migraines than men. They experience particularly numerous and severe attacks around the menstrual period, but also at the onset of menopause. On the other hand, the symptoms improve in many cases during pregnancy and also with the end of the menopause the migraine attacks are rarer. It has therefore been known for a long time that hormone fluctuations are associated with migraines,” said a press release from the Berlin University Hospital Charite. But what the exact cause is has so far remained unclear.
Berlin neurologists have now published their current research work on the open question in the journal “Neurology”. “From the animal model we have indications that fluctuations in female hormones – especially estrogen – lead to an increased release of the inflammatory messenger CGRP in the brain,” explained Bianca Raffaelli from the Headache Center of the Clinic for Neurology with Experimental Neurology at the Charite Campus Mitte, which led the study.
body substance
CGRP stands for “Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide” and is an endogenous substance that is increasingly released during migraines and greatly dilates the blood vessels in the brain. This creates an inflammatory reaction, which could be one of the reasons for the severe headaches associated with migraines.
It didn’t stop with the animal model. With a total of 180 women as subjects, the research group examined whether the connection between female hormones and the release of CGRP also exists in humans. To do this, the scientists determined the CGRP level in migraine patients twice during the cycle, namely during menstrual bleeding and at the time of ovulation.
Fluctuations in the “pill” not
A comparison with women without migraine showed: During menstruation, the concentration of CGRP in migraine sufferers is significantly higher than in healthy subjects. “So when estrogen levels drop to induce a period, migraine sufferers release more CGRP,” said Bianca Raffaelli. “This could explain why the affected women experience more frequent migraine attacks shortly before and during menstruation.”
These hormone-related fluctuations did not show up in women who took the “pill”. The Berlin neurologist: “In fact, taking the pill and the end of the menopause can provide relief for some migraine patients. However, as can be seen from our study, there are also women who get migraines even without hormone fluctuations. We suspect that other processes in their body play a role in triggering an attack because CGRP is not the only inflammatory peptide that can trigger migraines.”
The results of the study could have implications for the prophylaxis and acute treatment of migraine in women. For several years there have been newly approved monoclonal antibodies against the CGRP mechanism in the development of migraine. Drugs that can be taken orally are currently being developed that are aimed directly at CGRP or at the peptide receptor.
Source: Nachrichten
