Pathophysiology of migraine: A role for neuropeptides

Migraine is a common debilitating neurovascular disorder. Because of their dual role in modulating neuronal and vascular events, neuropeptides have been implied to be of importance in migraine pathophysiology. Most clinical trials investigating neuropeptide receptor ligands for the treatment of migraine, however, did not show the desired results. The only exception so far is Olcegepant (BIBN4096BS), a potent and selective antagonist of the calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) receptor. In a clinical study, this compound proved to be effective in treating migraine headache, highlighting the essential role of CGRP for pathophysiology of migraine.

Section editors:Frank Porreca – University of Arizona, Tucson, USAMichael Ossipov – University of Arizona, Tucson, USA