TY - ABST

T1 - High brain serotonin levels in migraine between attacks

T2 - A 5-HT4-receptor binding PET study

AU - Deen, Marie

AU - Hansen, Hanne D.

AU - Hougaard, Anders

AU - Eiberg, Hans

AU - Lehel, Szabolcs

AU - Ashina, Messoud

AU - Knudsen, Gitte M.

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - ObjectivesTo investigate brain 5-HT4-receptor binding with positron emission tomography (PET) as a proxy of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) levels in migraine patients between attacks.MethodsBrain 5-HT4-receptor binding, assessed with PET imaging of the specific 5-HT4-receptor radioligand, [11C]SB207145, is inversely related to long-term changes in brain 5-HT-levels. Eighteen migraine patients without aura (≥48 hours migraine free) and 16 age- and sex-matched controls underwent PET-scanning after injection of [11C]SB207145. Patients who reported a migraine attack ≤48 hours after the scan were excluded. The mean neocortical [11C]SB207145 binding potential (BPND) was calculated in a blinded manner.ResultsFifteen patients (age 29.6 ± 10.2 years, 2 men) and 16 controls (28.9 ± 10.2 years, 3 men) completed the study. Migraine patients had significantly lower neocortical 5-HT4-receptor binding than controls (0.62 ± 0.09 vs. 0.68 ± 0.05, p = 0.024). We found no associations between 5-HT4-receptor binding and clinical migraine characteristics.ConclusionMigraine patients have lower neocortical 5-HT4-receptor binding than controls, which may reflect a chronic or at least episodically high brain 5-HT-level. Our finding is in apparent contrast with the longstanding hypothesis of migraine being a syndrome of chronic low brain 5-HT-levels. We were unable to demonstrate any associations with attack frequency or years with migraine. This suggests that high brain 5-HT-levels may be a trait of the migraine brain rather than a consequence of migraine attacks.

AB - ObjectivesTo investigate brain 5-HT4-receptor binding with positron emission tomography (PET) as a proxy of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) levels in migraine patients between attacks.MethodsBrain 5-HT4-receptor binding, assessed with PET imaging of the specific 5-HT4-receptor radioligand, [11C]SB207145, is inversely related to long-term changes in brain 5-HT-levels. Eighteen migraine patients without aura (≥48 hours migraine free) and 16 age- and sex-matched controls underwent PET-scanning after injection of [11C]SB207145. Patients who reported a migraine attack ≤48 hours after the scan were excluded. The mean neocortical [11C]SB207145 binding potential (BPND) was calculated in a blinded manner.ResultsFifteen patients (age 29.6 ± 10.2 years, 2 men) and 16 controls (28.9 ± 10.2 years, 3 men) completed the study. Migraine patients had significantly lower neocortical 5-HT4-receptor binding than controls (0.62 ± 0.09 vs. 0.68 ± 0.05, p = 0.024). We found no associations between 5-HT4-receptor binding and clinical migraine characteristics.ConclusionMigraine patients have lower neocortical 5-HT4-receptor binding than controls, which may reflect a chronic or at least episodically high brain 5-HT-level. Our finding is in apparent contrast with the longstanding hypothesis of migraine being a syndrome of chronic low brain 5-HT-levels. We were unable to demonstrate any associations with attack frequency or years with migraine. This suggests that high brain 5-HT-levels may be a trait of the migraine brain rather than a consequence of migraine attacks.

U2 - 10.1177/0333102417719573

DO - 10.1177/0333102417719573

M3 - Conference abstract in journal

C2 - 28880581

VL - 37

SP - 66

EP - 66

JO - Cephalalgia

JF - Cephalalgia

SN - 0800-1952

IS - 1_suppl

M1 - PO-01-023

ER -