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Inflammation in migraine pathogenesis: when, where, and how

  • Chapter
Migraine: A Neuroinflammatory Disease?

Part of the book series: Progress in Inflammation Research ((PIR))

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Abstract

Inflammation is one of the three mechanisms that are thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of the migraine headache and for which there is clinical experimental evidence. The other two mechanisms for which such evidence exists are extracranial arterial vasodilation and decreased inhibition of central pain transmission. In so-called migraine with aura, the headache is preceded by transient focal neurological symptoms, generally referred to as aura symptoms. In the following, the pathogenesis of the migraine headache, as well as that of the migraine aura, will be discussed. The traditional (sequential) concept of the pathogenesis of the migraine attack will be reviewed and an alternative (parallel) concept presented. Finally, the mode of action of the specific abortive antimigraine medications, the triptans and ergots, will be discussed on the basis of available experimental evidence in man.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Egilius L. H. Spierings

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  1. Egilius L. H. Spierings
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Egilius L. H. Spierings

  2. Headache Unit, Department of Neurology, Fundación Hospital Alcorcón Juan Carlos I University, Madrid, Spain

    Margarita Sánchez del Río

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© 2002 Springer Basel AG

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Spierings, E.L.H. (2002). Inflammation in migraine pathogenesis: when, where, and how. In: Spierings, E.L.H., Sánchez del Río, M. (eds) Migraine: A Neuroinflammatory Disease?. Progress in Inflammation Research. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8131-9_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8131-9_1

  • Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Basel

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-0348-9449-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-0348-8131-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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