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Endogenous Treatments for Migraine Pain

Edited by:
Adriana Della Pietra, PhD, University of Iowa, United States of America
Andrew Russo, PhD, University of Iowa, United States of America

Submission Status: Open   |   Submission Deadline: 10 November 2024


The Journal of Headache and Pain is calling for submissions to our Collection on Endogenous Treatments for Migraine Pain.

Image credits © Naeblys / Getty Images / iStock


New Content ItemThis collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being.

About the Collection

Migraine is characterized by moderate to severe pulsatile head pain. Migraine pain is initiated and supported by interactions between the peripheral meningeal nociceptive system, brainstem network and central pain centers. Thus, migraine pain can potentially be blocked at different levels by endogenous anti-nociceptive cascades that overlap among these structures. Indeed, in addition to the already available anti-migraine pharmacological agents, another approach to treat migraine could be based on specific enhancement of endogenous pain-inhibiting mechanisms. These mechanisms could exploit the natural anti-nociceptive effects of endogenous opioids, endocannabinoids, serotonin, and norepinephrine to inhibit pain signals, acting through existing inhibitory neuronal networks.

The aim of this Collection is to provide a better understanding of the basic molecular mechanisms of endogenous pain management. This may lead to better and/or alternative migraine pain treatments based on enhancement of endogenous analgesic systems. A deeper knowledge of the specific location, profile, and leading mechanisms of these endogenous anti-nociceptive systems in migraine patients may give a chance to block pain more efficiently in a personalized manner.

Possible topics include:

  • Basic mechanisms and profiles of endogenous opioid, cannabinoid, serotoninergic, noradrenergic, and periaqueductal grey neuronal systems in areas involved in migraine pain signaling.
  • Strategies and newly developed compounds to enhance endogenous anti-nociceptive systems to achieve migraine pain analgesia.
  • Debate and research on advantages and disadvantages of endogenous management of migraine pain compared to exogenous pharmacological approach, including available anti-migraine drugs, exogenous cannabinoids and opioids.
  • Additional investigation and discussion on other candidates as endogenous anti-nociceptive systems and molecules, broadening our knowledge on the mechanisms that may offer new and alternative therapeutic possibilities for migraine pain relief.
  • Translational value and applications of enhancing endogenous systems to combat migraine pain.

  1. The upper cervical dorsal root ganglia (DRG) are important for the transmission of sensory information associated with the back of the head and neck, contributing to head pain. Calcitonin receptor (CTR)-based ...

    Authors: Tayla A. Rees, Zoe Tasma, Michael L. Garelja, Simon J. O’Carroll, Christopher S. Walker and Debbie L. Hay
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2024 25:36
    Content type: Research Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original research and review papers. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. 

Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. Please, select the appropriate Collection title “Endogenous Treatments for Migraine Pain" under the “Details” tab during the submission stage.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer-review process. The peer-review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.