Open Accessμ ‐Opioid activation in the midbrain during migraine allodynia – brief report II
Author(s) -
Nascimento Thiago D.,
DosSantos Marcos F.,
Lucas Sarah,
Holsbeeck Hendrik,
DeBoer Misty,
Maslowski Eric,
Love Tiffany,
Martikainen Ilkka K.,
Koeppe Robert A.,
Smith Yolanda R.,
Zubieta JonKar,
DaSilva Alexandre F.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
annals of clinical and translational neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.824
H-Index - 42
ISSN - 2328-9503
DOI - 10.1002/acn3.66
Subject(s) - medicine , ictal , migraine , anesthesia , allodynia , opioid , periaqueductal gray , headaches , spinal trigeminal nucleus , midbrain , nociception , epilepsy , hyperalgesia , surgery , central nervous system , receptor , psychiatry
We investigated in vivo the allodynic response of the central μ ‐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 μ ‐opioid receptor ( μ 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 μ 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 μ OR activation in the migraineurs' brains in response to their allodynic experience.