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Updated: May 30, 2026
10:39
3D-Neuronavigation In Vivo Through a Patient's Brain During a Spontaneous Migraine Headache
Published on: June 2, 2014
Migraine prophylactic drugs - something new under the sun?
Svein I Bekkelund1, Karl B Alstadhaug
1Department of Neurology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway. svein.ivar.bekkelund@unn.no
Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs
|August 9, 2011
Summary
Newer migraine preventive drugs show mixed results. While some targeting specific brain pathways show promise, others have failed, indicating a need for further research into migraine subtypes.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Migraine prevention treatments have advanced slowly due to incomplete understanding of migraine triggers.
- Limited knowledge of the primum movens of migraine attacks hinders preventive treatment development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a status report on emerging preventive medications for migraine.
- To review ongoing clinical trials and their proposed mechanisms of action.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of published and unpublished randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from the past three years.
- Focus on drugs targeting cortical spreading depression and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonists.
- Evaluation of drugs affecting nitric oxide pathways, excitatory neurotransmission, and other targets.
Main Results:
- Drugs inhibiting cortical spreading depression and CGRP antagonists demonstrate potential but require further investigation.
- Nitric oxide blockers, glutamate antagonists, and newer antiepileptics have not proven effective.
- Melatonin, vitamin E, and botulinum toxin treatments show minimal or no significant effect.
Conclusions:
- Phase II study results for novel migraine prophylactic drugs targeting brain receptors are inconsistent but suggest potential clinical utility.
- Current trials are unlikely to yield a major breakthrough in migraine prevention.
- Future research is expected to offer greater insight into the efficacy of these drugs across different migraine subtypes.
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