Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026
05:49
An Automated Squint Method for Time-syncing Behavior and Brain Dynamics in Mouse Pain Studies
Published on: November 1, 2024
Effect of CGRP and sumatriptan on the BOLD response in visual cortex
Mohammad S Asghar1, Adam E Hansen, Henrik B W Larsson
1Danish Headache Center and Department of Neurology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Glostrup Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Nordre Ringvej 57, Glostrup, 2600 Copenhagen, Denmark. sohail@dadlnet.dk
The Journal of Headache and Pain
|January 17, 2012
Summary
Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and sumatriptan did not directly alter visual cortex activity in healthy volunteers. These findings suggest CGRP and sumatriptan may act outside the blood-brain barrier.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is implicated in migraine pathophysiology.
- Sumatriptan is a common anti-migraine medication.
- The direct effect of systemic CGRP and sumatriptan on central nervous system activity remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of intravenous CGRP on brain activity in the visual cortex.
- To determine if sumatriptan can reverse any CGRP-induced changes in brain activity.
- To test the hypothesis that CGRP modulates brain activity.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 3 Tesla was used to measure brain activity.
- Eighteen healthy volunteers received either CGRP infusion or placebo.
- Brain activity was recorded before, during, and after infusions and sumatriptan administration.
Main Results:
- No significant changes in visual cortex BOLD activity were observed after CGRP infusion (P = 0.12) or placebo (P = 0.41).
- Sumatriptan did not alter brain activity following CGRP (P = 0.71) or placebo (P = 0.98).
- 77% of participants reported headache following CGRP infusion.
Conclusions:
- Systemic CGRP and sumatriptan do not exert direct effects on blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) activity in the visual cortex of healthy volunteers.
- These results suggest that the actions of CGRP and sumatriptan in migraine may occur outside the blood-brain barrier.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the precise mechanisms of CGRP and sumatriptan in migraine treatment.
