Research uncovers how stress triggers migraines via PACAP38, highlighting a new therapeutic target for migraine relief.
Migraines are more than just bad headaches; they stem from a genetic neurological disease that causes suffering for one in seven people. Those who experience migraines can have a myriad of debilitating symptoms, including pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and visual disturbances that prevent them from participating in work and family life. Pain is one way our body warns us something is wrong, but what do we do when this alarm system prevents us from living life fully?
A scientist at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) has discovered a pathway triggered in the brain during stressful situations. Halting this process at an early stage could prevent the domino effect that leads to migraines.
A study published in the Journal of Headache and Pain, led by Yu Shin Kim, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, UT Health San Antonio, shows how stress causes an increase in levels of a potent neuropeptide called pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide-38 (PACAP38). This neuropeptide couples with a certain mast cell receptor (MrgprB2), causing cells to release inflammatory substances. Mast cells work like a sort of speaker system, amplifying incoming messages. This series of effects lead to increased sensitivity in the trigeminovascular system of the dura, a thin membrane of connective tissue that covers the brain and spinal cord, leading to headaches and/or migraine pain.
Migraines are more than just bad headaches; they stem from a genetic neurological disease that causes suffering for one in seven people. Those who experience migraines can have a myriad of debilitating symptoms, including pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and visual disturbances that prevent them from participating in work and family life. Pain is one way our body warns us something is wrong, but what do we do when this alarm system prevents us from living life fully?
A scientist at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) has discovered a pathway triggered in the brain during stressful situations. Halting this process at an early stage could prevent the domino effect that leads to migraines.
A study published in the Journal of Headache and Pain, led by Yu Shin Kim, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, UT Health San Antonio, shows how stress causes an increase in levels of a potent neuropeptide called pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide-38 (PACAP38). This neuropeptide couples with a certain mast cell receptor (MrgprB2), causing cells to release inflammatory substances. Mast cells work like a sort of speaker system, amplifying incoming messages. This series of effects lead to increased sensitivity in the trigeminovascular system of the dura, a thin membrane of connective tissue that covers the brain and spinal cord, leading to headaches and/or migraine pain.
For more information about stress-related issues go to stress.org
