ArticleThe journal of headache and pain2019
Migraine and cluster headache show impaired neurosteroids patterns.
Article in The journal of headache and pain, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Alleviation of migraine symptoms by application of repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation to myofascial trigger points of neck and shoulder muscles - A randomized trial.Scientific reports · 2020Trial
- Sex differences in cluster headache: insights from the Chinese Cluster Headache Register Individual Study (CHRIS).The journal of headache and pain · 2026Observational
- The emergence of sex differences in primary pain during adolescence: a conceptual developmentally-oriented biopsychosocial model and opportunities for further investigation.BMC pediatrics · 2025Review
- Hallmarks of primary headache: part 3 - cluster headache.The journal of headache and pain · 2025Review
- Pregnenolone sulfate potentiates tetrodotoxin-resistant NaThe journal of headache and pain · 2025Article
- Migraine in men.The journal of headache and pain · 2025Review
- Gender and Neurosteroids: Implications for Brain Function, Neuroplasticity and Rehabilitation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Contribution of tetrodotoxin-resistant persistent NaThe journal of headache and pain · 2022Article
- Cluster Headache is Still Lurking in the Shadows.Pain and therapy · 2021Article
- Article
- Serum levels of allopregnanolone, progesterone and testosterone in menstrually-related and postmenopausal migraine: A cross-sectional study.Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache · 2020Article
- The role of androgens in migraine pathophysiology.Neurobiology of pain (Cambridge, Mass.)Review
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPerturbation of neuronal excitability contributes to migraine. Neurosteroids modulate the activity of γ-aminobutyric acid A and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, and might be involved in the pathogenesis of migraine. Here, we measured plasma levels of four neurosteroids, i.e., allopregnanolone, epiallopregnanolone, dehydroepiandrosterone and deydroepiandrosterone sulfate, in patients affected by episodic migraine, chronic migraine, or cluster headache.
methodsNineteen female patients affected by episodic migraine, 51 female patients affected by chronic migraine, and 18 male patients affected by cluster headache were recruited to the study. Sex- and age-matched healthy control subjects (31 females and 16 males) were also recruited. Patients were clinically characterized by using validated questionnaires. Plasma neurosteroid levels were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
resultsWe found disease-specific changes in neurosteroid levels in our study groups. For example, allopregnanolone levels were significantly increased in episodic migraine and chronic migraine patients than in control subjects, whereas they were reduced in patients affected by cluster headache. Dehydroepiandrosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels were reduced in patients affected by chronic migraine, but did not change in patients affected by cluster headache.
conclusionWe have shown for the first time that large and disease-specific changes in circulating neurosteroid levels are associated with chronic headache disorders, raising the interesting possibility that fluctuations of neurosteroids at their site of action might shape the natural course of migraine and cluster headache. Whether the observed changes in neurosteroids are genetically determined or rather result from exposure to environmental or intrinsic stressors is unknown. This might also be matter for further investigation because stress is a known triggering factor for headache attacks in both migraineurs and cluster headache patients.
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