Migraine affects one billion people world-wide. As many patients do not benefit from current anti-migraine treatments, the disorder is a leading cause of disability. This project will guide towards new treatment strategies that may benefit the numerous people suffering from migraine.
My hypothesis is that disruption of nitric oxide (NO) homeostasis is an important contributor to migraine pain. NO is an abundant molecule involved in many signaling pathways. We study these pathways in the meninges which is the protective layers of tissue between the brain and the skull. The meninges contain blood vessels, pain sensitive nerves, and immune cells that collectively give rise to a NO related viscous cycle where substances causing pain is building up in the tissue. We will make live recordings of meningeal structures during migraine-like states in mice and analyze the corresponding pain behavior. Subsequently, we test drugs that work on different aspects of the vicious NO cycle.