Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42712363›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in neurology2026

Atogepant modulates brain connectivity in episodic migraine: a longitudinal exploratory fMRI study.

Danilo Antonio Montisano, Davide Fedeli, Greta Demichelis, Giuseppe Ciullo, Jean Paul Medina Carrion, Emilio Ciusani, Alessandra Erbetta, Marina Grisoli, Alessia Marcassoli, Giulia Regonesi and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in neurology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Danilo Antonio MontisanoHeadache Center, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy.
Davide FedeliNeuroradiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.
Greta DemichelisNeuroradiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.
Giuseppe CiulloNeuroradiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.
Jean Paul Medina CarrionNeuroradiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.
Emilio CiusaniDepartment of Diagnostic and Technology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy.
Alessandra ErbettaNeuroradiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.
Marina GrisoliNeuroradiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.
Alessia MarcassoliNeurology, Public Health and Disability Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy.
Giulia RegonesiNeurology Unit, ASST Bergamo Est, Seriate, Italy.
Alessandra ParisiHeadache Center, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy.
Alberto RaggiNeurology, Public Health and Disability Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy.
Anna Nigri *Neuroradiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.
Licia Grazzi *Headache Center, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Aim: Episodic Migraine (EM) is a highly prevalent and disabling neurological disorder. Recent therapeutic advances have targeted the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a neuropeptide implicated in the pathophysiology of migraine. Promising outcomes have been obtained with monoclonal antibodies and, more recently, with a new class of drugs consisting of small-molecule CGRP receptor antagonists, known as gepants. Atogepant, an oral agent of the gepant class, has demonstrated efficacy in migraine prevention, yet its effects on central brain activity and neurotransmitter circuits remain largely unclear. This exploratory study investigates changes in brain functional connectivity and changes related to key neurotransmitter systems, following 12 weeks of treatment with atogepant in a group of EM patients. Methods: This is an exploratory single-arm longitudinal study assessing clinical and neuroimaging changes before and after 12 weeks of atogepant treatment. We enrolled patients diagnosed with EM according to ICHD-3 criteria, without prior exposure to anti-CGRP therapies. Participants underwent clinical assessments (monthly migraine days MMD, acute drugs intake MAM) and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) before and after 12 weeks of treatment with atogepant 60 mg once daily. Longitudinal functional connectivity analyses were performed at the whole-brain level with a region-of-interest analysis. Additionally, longitudinal neurotransmitter-related functional connectivity was investigated within the serotoninergic and the dopaminergic systems. Results: A total of 15 patients completed the evaluation. A significant group-level reduction in MMD (T = -7.09, Discussion: In this exploratory cohort, significant clinical improvement after atogepant treatment was accompanied by longitudinal functional connectivity changes in EM patients. These preliminary findings may reflect either direct or indirect central modulation linked to atogepant treatment. A deeper understanding of the observed central changes may help to clarify the mechanisms underlying anti-CGRP therapies for migraine.

Indexed as

BrainCalcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Receptor AntagonistsMigraine DisordersAdultFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedNeural PathwaysTreatment OutcomeCalcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Receptor Antagonistsatogepantfunctional connectivitymigraineneurotransmittersresting-state fMRI

Identifiers

PMID42712363
PMCPMC13549835

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.