OCCIPITAL LEVELS OF GABA ARE RELATED TO SEVERE HEADACHES IN MIGRAINE

Abstract

Although GABA has figured prominently in theories of migraine pathogenesis,1 brain levels of this transmitter have not been directly measured in migraineurs. This is of importance since, in migraine, neurophysiologic events account for brain hyperexcitability and subcortical disinhibition.2,3 Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) measures levels of metabolites in the human brain and may map regional changes in their levels.4 Accordingly, herein we used MRS to measure the levels of GABA in individuals with migraine with aura (MA), migraine without aura (MO), and in controls. ### Methods. Individuals with MA (n = 9), MO (n = 10), and controls without headache (n = 9) were enrolled. Participants could not use migraine preventive drugs or any other on a daily basis. Subjects prospectively collected their headache information over 1 month, using a daily headache calendar. Disability was assessed with the Migraine Disability Assessment Questionnaire (MIDAS). Migraineurs were imaged no less than 72 hours after their last headache attack. Data were acquired at 4T using a MRS INOVA system. Details of the methods are described elsewhere.5 Briefly, a volume of 3 × 3 × 1.5 cm3 was used positioned within the midline of the occipital lobe using inversion recovery gradient echo images. Two 8.5-minutes acquisition were averaged to …