vascular headaches/serotonin

The role of platelet serotonin in migraine remains a subject of controversy. However, the frequency of association of migraine with antibody-mediated thrombocytopenia would suggest that platelet dysfunction or impaired serotonin metabolism might play a role in migrainous attack. We report three new

Migraine has long been considered as a "vascular headache" but clearly neurological mechanisms are involved. The pathophysiology appears to somehow involve serotonin, both peripherally and centrally, but its involvement may be just epiphenomenal. Adding to the enigma it is apparent that many of the

The development of serotonin (5HT1B/1D) agonists as treatments for the acute attack of migraine has resulted in considerable interest in their mechanism of action and, to some extent, renewed interest in the role of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5HT) in the disorder. The initial synthesis of this

To better understand and treat painful conditions, one needs to identify the cause, discover the source, and develop knowledge of peripheral and central pain transmission; headaches are no exception. The development of appropriate animal models is important. Accordingly, we have reviewed the

The role of serotonin in the pathogenesis of migraine is discussed, and the chemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, adverse effects, and dosage and administration of sumatriptan are reviewed. Sumatriptan, which is structurally related to the neurotransmitter serotonin, is a serotonin

C-fiber-dependent neurogenic plasma extravasation developed in the dura mater but not the brain after electric stimulation of the rat trigeminal ganglion or after chemical stimulation of perivascular axons with intravenous capsaicin, a drug that depolarizes sensory nerve fibers. C-fiber-independent

Ergotamine is a well known pharmacological remedy applied in neurology (treatment of vascular headache) and in obstetrics (abortive remedy, uterus atony). But today it is rarely used, because of new safer anti-migraine medicine (triptanes) which cause fewer side effects. According to obstetrical

The basic CNS neuropharmacology of naratriptan is reviewed here. Naratriptan is a second-generation triptan antimigraine drug, developed at a time when CNS activity was thought not to be relevant to its therapeutic effect in migraine. It was, however, developed to be a more lipid-soluble, more

Vascular headaches are a relatively common phenomenon. Increasing numbers of patients with headache are being considered for treatment with the selective serotonin-receptor agonist sumatriptan succinate because of its potential for pronounced therapeutic efficacy in selected patients.

The goal of this study was to examine vascular responses of the dura mater. Microspheres were used to measure blood flow to the dura and brain in anesthetized dogs. Under control conditions, blood flow to the dura was 38 +/- 3 (SE) ml.min-1.100 g-1. Values for blood flow to the dura obtained with

The triptans are a group of serotonin receptor agonists that are useful in the therapy of vascular headaches and migraine. The triptans are generally used in low doses for a limited period of time and have not been associated with serum enzyme elevations, but some have been implicated in rare

Autonomic and sensory nerves frequently contact mast cells contained in rabbit leptomeningeal arteries. We have previously shown that parasympathetic and peptidergic neurotransmitters can stimulate mast cell granule exocytosis and serotonin (5-HT) release. In the present study, we examined ex vivo

Headache can be induced by histamine in wine in patients suffering from histamine intolerance, a disease characterized by impaired histamine degradation based on reduced diamine oxidase activity or a lack of the enzyme. Diamine oxidase is localized in the jejunal mucosa and is the most important