Study suggests hormones linked to migraines

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Study suggests hormones linked to migraines

By Suzanne Rostler

NEW YORK, Nov 27 (Reuters Health) - Irregularities in hormones produced

by the hypothalamus, the area of the brain that regulates such basic

functions as hunger and body temperature, may underlie chronic

migraines, researchers report.

The findings provide hope for the 2% to 3% of the general population who

suffer from the debilitating headaches, since drugs that regulate these

hormones could prevent or reduce the severity of the headaches, Dr.

Peres, the study's lead author, told Reuters Health.

" The hypothalamic involvement is one of the mechanisms (thought to be

involved) in chronic migraine, " said Peres from the Sao o Headache

Center in Brazil. " The clinical implications are the potential use of

drugs interfering with dopaminergic neurotransmission, and melatonin

supplementation, although clinical trials are necessary to support this

idea. "

According to the report, chronic migraine sufferers had higher levels of

cortisol, a stress hormone that is involved in the control of blood

pressure and blood sugar metabolism, and were more likely to have

delayed peak levels of melatonin, the hormone that controls sleep

cycles. Nearly half of patients with migraines had a delay in peak

melatonin levels, compared with none of the healthy volunteers, and

those with migraines and insomnia had lower peak melatonin

concentrations.

Normally, melatonin levels are highest 6 to 8 hours after sunset but

levels were found to peak after 3 AM in people with chronic migraines,

Peres explained.

Levels of prolactin, a hormone that rises during pregnancy to stimulate

milk production, were lower among those with migraines, the report

indicates. Peak levels of prolactin were low in 53% of patients compared

with 22% of those without headaches. This hormone is partially regulated

by a brain chemical called dopamine.

Concentrations of growth hormone did not differ between patients and

healthy volunteers, according to the report in the Journal of Neurology,

Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

Chronic migraines may occur with other conditions such as depression,

anxiety disorder and insomnia. While the headaches take a toll on

patients' quality of life and place an economic burden on society,

little is known about their cause.

To examine whether the hypothalamus, an area involved in other types of

headaches, plays a role, the investigators took hourly blood samples

from 17 people who experienced chronic migraines and 7 healthy

individuals whose average age was 31 years. The team measured levels of

the four hormones during the night.

" Overall, these results support the involvement of the hypothalamus in

the pathophysiology of chronic migraine, " Peres and colleagues conclude.

SOURCE: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry

2001;71:747-751.