Research article summary (published 10 Mar 2007):

Increased serotonin transporter availability in the brainstem of migraineurs.

Full Abstract

For decades, serotonin has been speculated to play a major role in migraine pathophysiology. The central serotonergic system is located in the raphe nuclei and the adjacent reticular formation in the brainstem. Recently, radioligands targeting the brain serotonin transport protein (SERT) have been developed. We used the highly specific SERT-radioligand (123)I-ADAM [2-((2-((dimethylamino) methyl)phenyl)thio)-5-iodophenylamine] to test the hypothesis of the mesopontine serotonergic system being involved in the pathophysiology of migraine. Nineteen migraine patients and 10 healthy, age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled. The neuroimaging study was performed interictally during the pain-free interval. Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)-images were coregistered with MRI-scans. Region of interest (ROI)-analysis revealed a highly significant increase of (123)I-ADAM uptake in the mesopontine brainstem of migraineurs (p < 0.001). In contrast, (123)IADAM uptake in the thalamus did not differ significantly between migraineurs and controls. Our study demonstrates for the first time a significant increase of brainstem SERT-availability in migraineurs, suggesting a dysregulation of the brainstem serotonergic system. It remains to be elucidated whether the altered SERT-availability is causally related to migraine pathophysiology or whether it reflects secondary pathophysiological mechanisms.

Author information

Author/s: Schuh-Hofer, Sigrid (S); Richter, Matthias (M); Geworski, Lilli (L); Villringer, Arno (A); Israel, Heike (H); Wenzel, Rüdiger (R); Munz, Dieter Ludwig (DL); Arnold, Guy (G);

Affiliation: Dept. of Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. sigrid.schuh-hofer(-atsign-)gmx.net

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Journal of neurology (J Neurol), published in Germany. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Jun; vol 254 (issue 6) : pp 789-96

Dates: Created 2007/06/26; Completed 2007/12/07;

PMID: 17351723, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult Biological Markers - analysis; metabolism Brain Chemistry - physiology Brain Stem - metabolism; physiopathology; radionuclide imaging Cinanserin - diagnostic use Female Humans Iodine Radioisotopes - diagnostic use Male Mesencephalon - metabolism; physiopathology; radionuclide imaging Middle Aged

Migraine Disorders - metabolism; physiopathology; radionuclide imaging Neural Pathways - metabolism; physiopathology; radionuclide imaging Pons - metabolism; physiopathology; radionuclide imaging Raphe Nuclei - metabolism; physiopathology; radionuclide imaging Receptors, Serotonin - metabolism Serotonin - metabolism Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins - analysis; metabolism Thalamus - metabolism; physiopathology; radionuclide imaging Tissue Distribution Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon Up-Regulation - physiology

Associated Chemicals: Biological Markers (0) ; Iodine Radioisotopes (0) ; Receptors, Serotonin (0) ; Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins (0) ; Cinanserin (1166-34-3) ; Serotonin (50-67-9)

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