Annals of neurology
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Annals of neurology · Apr 2006
Comparative StudyImaging brain damage in first-degree relatives of sporadic and familial multiple sclerosis.
Our objective was to assess brain damage in first-degree relatives of patients with sporadic and familial multiple sclerosis (MS). ⋯ Focal brain abnormalities indistinguishable from those of MS occur in asymptomatic first-degree relatives of MS patients. These are twice more frequent in fMS than in sMS but do not lead to the widespread tissue damage commonly found in MS patients. Although there is a genetic susceptibility to develop brain abnormalities suggestive of focal demyelination in first-degree relatives of MS patients, other factors are probably critical for the development of a diffuse, clinically relevant, pathology.
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Annals of neurology · Apr 2006
Comparative StudySuppression of cortical spreading depression in migraine prophylaxis.
Topiramate, valproate, propranolol, amitriptyline, and methysergide have been widely prescribed for migraine prophylaxis, but their mechanism or site of action is uncertain. Cortical spreading depression (CSD) has been implicated in migraine and as a headache trigger and can be evoked in experimental animals by electrical or chemical stimulation. We hypothesized that migraine prophylactic agents suppress CSD as a common mechanism of action. ⋯ Our data suggest that CSD provides a common therapeutic target for widely prescribed migraine prophylactic drugs. Assessing CSD threshold may prove useful for developing new prophylactic drugs and improving upon existing ones.