Migraine: A Neuroinflammatory Disease?

The potential involvement of neurogenic inflammation in the pathogenesis of the migraine headache and the inhibition of this mechanism as a possible mode of action of antimigraine medications are discussed in great depth in this volume. The topics are approached from a pathophysiological as well as a clinical experimental perspective by a renowned group of clinicians and scientists who carefully consider the current, future, and potential therapeutic approaches to migraine treatment.

The first chapters of the book address the impact of migraine on a personal and societal level, the presentation, pathogenesis and treatment of migraine as well as the role of neurogenic inflammation. Subsequent chapters present models of neurogenic inflammation related to the pathogenesis of the migraine headache, focussing on the mediators and their receptors, as well as on the involvement of mast cells. The possibility of inhibition of neurogenic inflammation in abortive and preventive migraine treatment is also extensively discussed and a chapter on the question of whether migraine is a neuroinflammatory disease concludes this comprehensive analysis.

Clinicians and scientists interested in inflammation from a physiological or pharmacological perspective and those interested in the pathogenesis of headache - migraine in particular - are the intended audience for this unique body of work.