Increased thalamic glutamate/glutamine levels in migraineurs

作者：Adina Bathel, Lauren M. Schweizer, Philipp Stude, Benjamin Glaubitz, Niklas Wulms, Sibel Delice, Tobias Schmidt‐Wilcke · 发表于：The Journal of Headache and Pain · 年份：2018 · DOI：10.1186/s10194-018-0885-8 · 被引用次数：72 · 研究领域：Migraine and Headache Studies、Neurological disorders and treatments、Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

BACKGROUND: Increased cortical excitability has been hypothesized to play a critical role in various neurological disorders, such as restless legs syndrome, epilepsy and migraine. Particularly for migraine, local hyperexcitability has been reported. Levels of regional excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters are related to cortical excitability and hence may play a role in the origin of the disease. Consequently, a mismatch of the excitatory-inhibitory neurotransmitter network might contribute to local hyperexcitability and the onset of migraine attacks. In this study we sought to assess local levels of glutamate / glutamine (GLX) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the occipital cortex and right thalamus of migraineurs and healthy subjects. METHODS: We measured interictally local biochemical concentrations in the occipital lobe and the right thalamus in patients with migraine (without aura) and healthy controls (HCs) using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 3 T. GLX levels were acquired using PRESS and GABA levels using the GABA-sensitive editing sequence MEGA-PRESS. Regional GLX and GABA levels were compared between groups. RESULTS: Statistical analyses revealed significantly increased GLX levels in both the primary occipital cortex and thalamus. However, we found no group differences in GABA levels for these two regions. Correlation analyses within the migraine group revealed no significant correlations between pain intensity and levels of GLX or GABA in either...