Μ‐Opioid activation in the midbrain during migraine allodynia – brief report II. (1st June 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Nascimento, Thiago D.; DosSantos, Marcos F.; Lucas, Sarah; van Holsbeeck, Hendrik; DeBoer, Misty; Maslowski, Eric; Love, Tiffany; Martikainen, Ilkka K.; Koeppe, Robert A.; Smith, Yolanda R.; Zubieta, Jon‐Kar; DaSilva, Alexandre F.
• Is Part Of: Annals of clinical and translational neurology. Volume 1:Number 6(2014)
• Page Start: 445
• Page End: 450
• Publication Date: 2014-06-01
• Subjects: Nervous system -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; 616.8005
• DOI: 10.1002/acn3.66
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2328-9503

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="acn366-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>We investigated in vivo the allodynic response of the central <italic>μ</italic>‐opioid system during spontaneous migraine headaches, following a sustained pain threshold challenge on the trigeminal ophthalmic region. Six migraineurs were scanned during the ictal and interictal phases using positron emission tomography (PET) with the selective <italic>μ</italic>‐opioid receptor (<italic>μ</italic>OR) radiotracer [11C]carfentanil. Females were scanned during the mid‐late follicular phase of two separate cycles. Patients showed ictal trigeminal allodynia during the thermal challenge that was concurrent and positively correlated with <italic>μ</italic>OR activation in the midbrain, extending from red nucleus to ventrolateral periaqueductal gray matter. These findings demonstrate for the first time in vivo the high <italic>μ</italic>OR activation in the migraineurs' brains in response to their allodynic experience.</p> </abstract>