Suboccipital cerebrospinal fluid and plasma concentrations of corticotropin-releasings hormone and calcitonin gene-related peptide in patients with common migraine

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Abstract
The concentrations of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained by suboccipital puncture and in peripheral plasma from patients with common migraine were investigated. There was a significant decrease in the CGRP level in plasma during a migraine attack compared with the levels in a mixed neuropsychiatric group and with the migraine-free period in migraine patients. No alterations were found in the CSF or plasma CRH concentrations during migraine and in an attack-free period. These results exclude the possibility of any significant CRH-induced alteration of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis in migraneous patients and support the suggestion that CGRP has a role in the pathophysiology of migraine.