Kynurenines and headache.

Abstract

In parallel to serotonin synthesis, the major route of tryptophan catabolism is the kynurenine pathway, which produces neuroactive metabolites. Among these substances, kynurenic acid has potential neuroprotective action blocking glutamate release and glutamatergic neurotransmission. Glutamate is a key player in migraine pathogenesis; it is crucial in the communication of first and second-order neurons, and it has an important role in the genesis of cortical spreading depression, which is the electrophysiological correlate for migraine aura and may be involved in the activation of the trigeminal system. Thus, kynurenines may affect the pathogenesis directly, by acting on glutamate receptors and exerting other neuromodulatory effects, and indirectly via an altered serotonin metabolism. This work summarizes our current results regarding the role of the kynurenine system in trigeminal activation and other events occurring during migraine headache.

• Authors: Arpád Párdutz, Annamária Fejes, Zsuzsanna Bohár, Lilla Tar, József Toldi, László Vécsei
• Journal: Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) (J Neural Transm (Vienna)) Vol. 119 Issue 2 Pg. 285-96 (Feb 2012) ISSN: 1435-1463 [Electronic] Austria
• PMID: 21643792 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Review)

Chemical References

• Neuroprotective Agents
• Kynurenine

Topics

• Animals
• Brain Chemistry (physiology)
• Headache (drug therapy, etiology, metabolism)
• Humans
• Kynurenine (physiology, therapeutic use)
• Migraine Disorders (drug therapy, etiology, metabolism)
• Neural Pathways (physiology)
• Neuroprotective Agents (metabolism, therapeutic use)
• Trigeminal Nerve (metabolism, physiology)