PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New brain-to-nerve signaling mechanism reveals potential path to migraine pain

2024-07-04
(Press-News.org) The rapid influx of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and protein solutes released during cortical spreading depression (CSD) in the brain activates neurons to trigger aural migraine headaches, according to a new mouse study. The findings identify a novel non-synaptic signaling mechanism between the brain and peripheral sensory system important for migraine. They also suggest potential pharmacological targets for treating the painful disorder. Migraine with aura, or an aural migraine, is a distinct headache disorder that can include sensory disturbances, such as hearing- or vision-related symptoms that precede onset of headache pain. During the aura phase, it is believed that waves of CSD are spontaneously triggered in the cerebral cortex or cerebellum, which, in turn, lead to activation of pain receptors (nociceptors) in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Previous research has suggested that CSD events release small molecules through the CSF that activate sensory nerve endings in the external tissues of the CNS (central nervous system), “outside” of the blood-brain barrier. These nerve endings are not exposed to CSF. How pathological CSD events in the cortex trigger the activation of peripheral nociceptors outside the brain remains poorly understood. Using a combination of proteomic, histological, imaging, and functional approaches in a mouse model of classical migraine, Martin Rasmussen and colleagues identified a signaling pathway between the CNS and PNS at the trigeminal ganglion. Unlike more distal parts of the CNS, the proximal zone of the trigeminal ganglion lacks a tight nerve barrier, allowing CSF and the signaling molecules released during CSD events to enter and interact with trigeminal cells. Rasmussen et al. found that CSD alters 11% of the CSF proteome, with up-regulation of proteins that directly activate receptors in the trigeminal ganglion, including calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). “Although this work provides some of the strongest data to date for a role of the glymphatic system in migraine, there is much to discover about the foundational role that fluid and solute transport play in neurobiological processes, suggesting that the journey toward understanding the role that glymphatic function and dysfunction play in a wide range of neurological and psychiatric conditions has only just begun,” write Andrew Russo and Jeffery Iliff in a related Perspective.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Federal grid reforms alone are not enough to solve clean energy interconnection problem

2024-07-04
Although energy production from wind and solar has grown rapidly in the United States, its integration into the national electric grid has been impeded by poor grid interconnection policies, leaving thousands of new facilities for generating renewable energy waiting to be connected to the grid.  In a Policy Forum, Les Armstrong and colleagues highlight the interconnection problem and discuss whether federal grid policy reforms alone are enough to address it. Armstrong et al. argue that while the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) recent orders to improve this bottleneck are a step in the right direction, fundamental issues remain unaddressed. In the ...

Uncovering “blockbuster T cells” in the gut wins NOSTER & Science Microbiome Prize

2024-07-04
In the gut, dozens of strains of bacteria exert different effects on the immune system that in turn impact our health – fending off pathogens, helping digest food and maybe even influencing behavior. But pinpointing which bacteria exert which effects has been challenging. Better understanding this process could lead to a powerful way to treat a host of diseases. For developing a method by which to zero in on individual gut bacterium’s impacts on T cells, Kazuki Nagashima, a senior research scientist at Stanford University, is the winner of this year’s NOSTER & Science Microbiome ...

Study reveals brain fluid dynamics as key to migraine mysteries, new therapies

2024-07-04
New research describes for the first time how a spreading wave of disruption and the flow of fluid in the brain triggers headaches, detailing the connection between the neurological symptoms associated with aura and the migraine that follows. The study also identifies new proteins that could be responsible for headaches and may serve as foundation for new migraine drugs. “In this study, we describe the interaction between the central and peripheral nervous system brought about by increased concentrations of proteins released ...

Scientists discover new T cells and genes related to immune disorders

Scientists discover new T cells and genes related to immune disorders
2024-07-04
Researchers led by Yasuhiro Murakawa at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) and Kyoto University in Japan and IFOM ETS in Italy have discovered several rare types of helper T cells that are associated with immune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and even asthma. Published July 4 in Science, the discoveries were made possible by a newly developed technology they call ReapTEC, which identified genetic enhancers in rare T cell subtypes that are linked to specific immune ...

The dawn of the Antarctic ice sheets

The dawn of the Antarctic ice sheets
2024-07-04
In recent years global warming has left its mark on the Antarctic ice sheets. The "eternal" ice in Antarctica is melting faster than previously assumed, particularly in West Antarctica more than East Antarctica. The root for this could lie in its formation, as an international research team led by the Alfred Wegener Institute has now discovered: sediment samples from drill cores combined with complex climate and ice-sheet modelling show that permanent glaciation of Antarctica began around 34 million years ago – ...

Not so selfish after all: Viruses use freeloading genes as weapons

Not so selfish after all: Viruses use freeloading genes as weapons
2024-07-04
Curious bits of DNA tucked inside genomes across all kingdoms of life historically have been disregarded since they don’t seem to have a role to play in the competition for survival. Or so researchers thought. These DNA pieces came to be known as “selfish genetic elements” because they exist, as far as scientists could tell, to simply reproduce and propagate themselves, without any benefit to their host organisms. They were seen as genetic hitchhikers that have been inconsequentially passed ...

Researchers identify unknown signalling pathway in the brain responsible for migraine with aura

2024-07-04
A previously unknown mechanism by which proteins from the brain are carried to a particular group of sensory nerves causes migraine attacks, a new study shows. This may pave the way for new treatments for migraine and other types of headaches. More than 800,000 Danes suffer from migraines – a condition characterised by severe headache in one side of the head. In around a fourth of all migraine patients, headache attacks are preceded by aura – symptoms from the brain such as temporary visual or sensory disturbances preceding the migraine attack by 5-60 minutes. While ...

Music: Song melodies have become simpler since 1950

2024-07-04
The complexity of the melodies of the most popular songs each year in the USA — according to the Billboard year-end singles charts — has decreased since 1950, a study published in Scientific Reports suggests. Madeline Hamilton and Marcus Pearce analysed the most prominent melodies (usually the vocal melody) of songs that reached the top five positions of the US Billboard year-end singles music charts each year between 1950 and 2022. They found that the complexity of song rhythms and pitch arrangements decreased over this period as the average number of notes ...

Effects of visual and auditory instructions on space station procedural tasks

Effects of visual and auditory instructions on space station procedural tasks
2024-07-04
Firstly, the authors provided a detailed explanation of the experimental methods and procedures. This study recruited 30 healthy subjects (15 males and 15 females), aged between 20 to 50 years, with an average age of 42 ± 6.58 years. All participants had no severe visual or auditory impairments and were right-handed. The subjects met the biometric standards for astronaut candidates and were rigorously screened. The experiment used Unity 3D to model the space station, simulating the internal scenes of the space station. The subjects started from the core node module and found the laboratory module I, where they operated the Space Raman Spectrometer ...

Norway can lead the fight against plastic pollution

Norway can lead the fight against plastic pollution
2024-07-04
Plastic items from around the world are continuously washing ashore on Norwegian coastlines. This reflects a much larger systemic issue facing the nations of the world. Scientists have long reported the consequences of plastic pollution and the urgent need for intervention, but global plastic production and consumption continue to rise. This underscores the importance of Norway’s advocacy for a global agreement that guarantees stopping the flow of plastics into the environment. But Norway also has a responsibility in generating plastic pollution. In a study conducted ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

AI can spot which patients need treatment to prevent vision loss in young adults

Half of people stop taking popular weight-loss drug within a year, national study finds

Links between diabetes and depression are similar across Europe, study of over-50s in 18 countries finds

Smoking increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, regardless of its characteristics

Scientists trace origins of now extinct plant population from volcanically active Nishinoshima

AI algorithm based on routine mammogram + age can predict women’s major cardiovascular disease risk

New hurdle seen to prostate screening: primary-care docs

MSU researchers explore how virtual sports aid mental health

Working together, cells extend their senses

Cheese fungi help unlock secrets of evolution

Researchers find brain region that fuels compulsive drinking

Mental health effects of exposure to firearm violence persist long after direct exposure

Research identifies immune response that controls Oropouche infection and prevents neurological damage

University of Cincinnati, Kent State University awarded $3M by NSF to share research resources

Ancient DNA reveals deeply complex Mastodon family and repeated migrations driven by climate change

Measuring the quantum W state

Researchers find a way to use antibodies to direct T cells to kill Cytomegalovirus-infected cells

Engineers create mini microscope for real-time brain imaging

Funding for training and research in biological complexity

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: September 12, 2025

ISSCR statement on the scientific and therapeutic value of human fetal tissue research

Novel PET tracer detects synaptic changes in spinal cord and brain after spinal cord injury

Wiley advances Knowitall Solutions with new trendfinder application for user-friendly chemometric analysis and additional enhancements to analytical workflows

Benchmark study tracks trends in dog behavior

OpenAI, DeepSeek, and Google vary widely in identifying hate speech

Research spotlight: Study identifies a surprising new treatment target for chronic limb threatening ischemia

Childhood loneliness and cognitive decline and dementia risk in middle-aged and older adults

Parental diseases of despair and suicidal events in their children

Acupuncture for chronic low back pain in older adults

Acupuncture treatment improves disabling effects of chronic low back pain in older adults

[Press-News.org] New brain-to-nerve signaling mechanism reveals potential path to migraine pain