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Updated: Mar 20, 2026
16:13
Modeling Neural Immune Signaling of Episodic and Chronic Migraine Using Spreading Depression In Vitro
Published on: June 13, 2011
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Spreading Depression in Primary and Secondary Headache Disorders
Shih-Pin Chen1,2, Cenk Ayata3,4
1Department of Neurology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Current Pain and Headache Reports
|May 25, 2016
Summary
Spreading depression (SD) causes migraine aura and may contribute to secondary headaches. Understanding SD mechanisms could lead to new precision medicine therapies for neurological disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pathophysiology
- Neurology
Background:
- Spreading depression (SD) is a wave of neuronal depolarization linked to migraine aura.
- SD is implicated in the pathogenesis of secondary headache disorders, including stroke and TBI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the pathogenic mechanisms of SD.
- To propose hypotheses on SD's role in primary and secondary headache disorders.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of spreading depression mechanisms.
- Analysis of SD's role in various neurological conditions.
Main Results:
- SD activates trigeminovascular pathways, potentially causing headache.
- In healthy tissue, SD is reversible; in compromised tissue, it causes neuronal injury.
- SD explains migraine aura and neurological deficits in other disorders.
Conclusions:
- SD is a key mechanism in migraine aura and may contribute to secondary headaches.
- Investigating SD in headache disorders can yield pathophysiological insights.
- Targeted therapies for headache disorders may emerge from SD research.
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