• Yang Li, Chenhao Li, Qi-Yu Chen, Shun Hao, Jingrui Mao, Wenwen Zhang, Xun Han, Zhao Dong, Ruozhuo Liu, Wenjing Tang, Min Zhuo, Shengyuan Yu, and Yinglu Liu.
• Department of Neurology, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
• J Headache Pain. 2024 May 17; 25 (1): 8181.

BackgroundRecent animal and clinical findings consistently highlight the critical role of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in chronic migraine (CM) and related emotional responses. CGRP antibodies and receptor antagonists have been approved for CM treatment. However, the underlying CGRP-related signaling pathways in the pain-related cortex remain poorly understood.MethodsThe SD rats were used to establish the CM model by dural infusions of inflammatory soup. Periorbital mechanical thresholds were assessed using von-Frey filaments, and anxiety-like behaviors were observed via open field and elevated plus maze tests. Expression of c-Fos, CGRP and NMDA GluN2B receptors was detected using immunofluorescence and western blotting analyses. The excitatory synaptic transmission was detected by whole-cell patch-clamp recording. A human-used adenylate cyclase 1 (AC1) inhibitor, hNB001, was applied via insula stereotaxic and intraperitoneal injections in CM rats.ResultsThe insular cortex (IC) was activated in the migraine model rats. Glutamate-mediated excitatory transmission and NMDA GluN2B receptors in the IC were potentiated. CGRP levels in the IC significantly increased during nociceptive and anxiety-like activities. Locally applied hNB001 in the IC or intraperitoneally alleviated periorbital mechanical thresholds and anxiety behaviors in migraine rats. Furthermore, CGRP expression in the IC decreased after the hNB001 application.ConclusionsOur study indicated that AC1-dependent IC plasticity contributes to migraine and AC1 may be a promising target for treating migraine in the future.© 2024. The Author(s).

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