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Basic Science in Headache

Guest Editor: Antoinette Maassen Van den Brink 

While the pharmacological treatment options of headache are gradually increasing, many aspects of its pathophysiology are still incompletely understood. Further progress in the understanding and treatment of headache largely depends on basic research.  

Therefore, it is a pleasure to let you know that The Journal of Headache and Pain has committed a special issue on Basic Science in Headache, where prominent researchers for around the world present their most recent findings.



  1. Several studies have described potential microRNA (miRNA) biomarkers associated with migraine, but studies are scarcely reproducible primarily due to the heterogeneous variability of participants. Increasing e...

    Authors: V. J. Gallardo, J. B. Gómez-Galván, L. Asskour, M. Torres-Ferrús, A. Alpuente, E. Caronna and P. Pozo-Rosich
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2023 24:11
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Hypothalamus is a key region in migraine attacks. In addition, women are disproportionately affected by migraine. The calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) system is an important key player in migraine pathop...

    Authors: Aida Maddahi, Lars Edvinsson and Karin Warfvinge
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2022 23:152
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. Migraine aura is a transient, fully reversible visual, sensory, or other central nervous system symptom that classically precedes migraine headache. This study aimed to investigate ce...

    Authors: Tong Fu, Lindong Liu, Xiaobin Huang, Di Zhang, Yujia Gao, Xindao Yin, Hai Lin, Yongming Dai and Xinying Wu
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2022 23:131
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. Chronic migraine is a common and highly disabling disorder. Functional MRI has indicated that abnormal brain region activation is linked with chronic migraine. Drugs targeting the calcitonin gene-related pepti...

    Authors: Shouyi Wu, Xiao Ren, Chenlu Zhu, Wei Wang, Kaibo Zhang, Zhilei Li, Xuejiao Liu and Yonggang Wang
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2022 23:128
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. Growing evidence supports the important role of persistent sodium currents (INaP) in the neuronal excitability of various central neurons. However, the role of tetrodotoxin-resistant (TTX-R) Na+ channel-mediated ...

    Authors: Michiko Nakamura and Il-Sung Jang
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2022 23:73
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. Gut microbial dysbiosis and gut-brain axis dysfunction have been implicated in the pathophysiology of migraine. However, it is unclear whether migraine-related cephalic allodynia could induce the alteration of...

    Authors: Shuai Miao, Wenjing Tang, Heng Li, Bozhi Li, Chunxiao Yang, Wei Xie, Tao Wang, Wenhao Bai, Zihua Gong, Zhao Dong and Shengyuan Yu
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2022 23:71
    Content type: Research Published on:

  8. Adenosine is a purinergic signaling molecule with a wide range of physiological functions including anti- and pronociceptive properties. Adenosine receptors are expressed in the trigeminovascular system, and a...

    Authors: Janu Thuraiaiyah, Lili Kokoti, Mohammad Al-Mahdi Al-Karagholi and Messoud Ashina
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2022 23:43
    Content type: Review article Published on:

  9. Based on the current understanding of the role of neuropeptide signalling in migraine, we explored the therapeutic potential of a specific cannabinoid agonist. The aim of the present study was to examine the e...

    Authors: Isabella Mai Christiansen, Jacob C. A. Edvinsson, Philip V. Reducha, Lars Edvinsson and Kristian Agmund Haanes
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2022 23:30
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  10. Migraine is a common brain disorder but reliable diagnostic biomarkers in blood are still lacking. Our aim was to identify, using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy, metabolites in serum that...

    Authors: Aster V. E. Harder, Lisanne S. Vijfhuizen, Peter Henneman, Ko Willems van Dijk, Cornelia M. van Duijn, Gisela M. Terwindt and Arn M. J. M. van den Maagdenberg
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2021 22:142
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  11. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is released from activated meningeal afferent fibres in the cranial dura mater, which likely accompanies severe headache attacks. Increased CGRP levels have been observed...

    Authors: Miriam Risch, Birgit Vogler, Mária Dux and Karl Messlinger
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2021 22:105
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  12. Central sensitization is one of the characters of chronic migraine (CM). Aberrant synaptic plasticity can induce central sensitization. Oxytocin (OT), which is a hypothalamic hormone, plays an important antino...

    Authors: Yunfeng Wang, Qi Pan, Ruimin Tian, Qianwen Wen, Guangcheng Qin, Dunke Zhang, Lixue Chen, Yixin Zhang and Jiying Zhou
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2021 22:84
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  13. Migraine is a complex neurological disorder that is characterized by throbbing head pain, increased sensitivity to light, sound, and touch, as well as nausea and fatigue. It is one of the most common and most ...

    Authors: Amanda Avona, Theodore J Price and Gregory Dussor
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2021 22:70
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  14. Circadian patterns of migraine attacks have been reported by patients but remain understudied. In animal models, circadian phases are generally not taken into consideration. In particular, rodents are nocturna...

    Authors: Anne-Sophie Wattiez, Olivia J. Gaul, Adisa Kuburas, Erik Zorrilla, Jayme S. Waite, Bianca N. Mason, William C. Castonguay, Mengya Wang, Bennett R. Robertson and Andrew F. Russo
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2021 22:62
    Content type: Research article Published on:

    The Correction to this article has been published in The Journal of Headache and Pain 2021 22:115

  15. Butterbur root extract with its active ingredients petasin and isopetasin has been used in the prophylactic treatment of migraine for years, while its sites of action are not completely clear. Calcitonin gene-...

    Authors: Johanna Kleeberg-Hartmann, Birgit Vogler and Karl Messlinger
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2021 22:23
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  16. Spreading depolarizations (SD) likely manifest as aura in migraineurs. Triggers are unknown although vascular events have been implicated. Direct carotid puncture has been reported to trigger migraine with aur...

    Authors: Kazutaka Sugimoto, Andreia Morais, Homa Sadeghian, Tao Qin, David Y. Chung, Messoud Ashina, Anders Hougaard and Cenk Ayata
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2020 21:127
    Content type: Research article Published on: