Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO) may play a key role in migraine and other vascular headaches since glyceryl trinitrate (a donor of NO) and histamine (which probably activates endothelial NO formation) both cause a pulsating dose-dependent headache with several migrainous characteristics. At relatively high doses of glyceryl trinitrate, migraine sufferers develop stronger and more migraine-like headaches and more pronounced cerebral arterial dilatation than controls. After the infusion of glyceryl trinitrate, non-migraineurs remain headache-free while migraineurs develop a migraine-like attack. In this review, Jes Olesen, Lars Thomsen and Helle Iversen suggest that migraine may be caused by increased amounts and/or affinity of an enzyme in the NO-triggered cascade of reactions. NO may also be involved in the pathogenesis of other vascular headaches.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Trends in Pharmacological Sciences |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Pages (from-to) | 149-53 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| ISSN | 0165-6147 |
| Publication status | Published - May 1994 |
Keywords
- Amino Acid Oxidoreductases
- Cerebrovascular Circulation
- Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
- Headache
- Histamine
- Humans
- Migraine Disorders
- Nitric Oxide
- Nitric Oxide Synthase
- Nitroglycerin