Migraine Research in the Dussor Lab

Migraine has traditionally been thought of as a vascular disorder. However, it has become clearer in recent years that vascular changes cannot account for the pathophysiology of migraine and that maladaptive changes in the nervous system are more likely to contribute to this disorder. The exact changes in the nervous system contributing to migraine are not yet fully understood. The recent Global Burden of Disease Study by The Lancet (Vos et al 2012) found that migraine is the 3rd most prevalent disease in the world. Given this prevalence and the likely changes in the nervous system that lead to migraine, this makes migraine by far the most common neurological disorder. Unfortunately, less than 50% of migraine patients achieve adequate relief from currently available therapeutics. Studies in our laboratory are focused on mechanisms that mediate the pain of migraine. Using both in vitro and in vivo studies, we are focused on mechanisms leading to activation/sensitization of nociceptors innervating the cranial meninges including the potential contribution of non-neuronal cells (fibroblasts) to these processes. We are also interested in neuroplasticity that occurs across the central projections of these neurons the trigeminal nucleus caudalis and how this may contribute to lowered thresholds for headaches in migraine patients.