Blood-csf Barrier Transport in Migraine Differs with Headache Frequency
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Key messages
- The cell, protein, and molecular data complements recent imaging studies that reported no significant breakdown of the blood-CSF barrier.
- Evidence is provided that increased transport from blood to CSF occurs in migraine, with no evidence of endothelial or pericyte marker changes in CSF; substantially greater transport of fibrinogen than albumin supports selective transport.
- Highly reactive fibrinogen was found to decrease, while the cell adhesion molecule VCAM1 increased with greater headache frequency.
Presenting Author
Michael G. Harrington, MB, ChB
Scientific Director, Neuroscience
Huntington Medical Research Institutes
Pasadena, California
Michael G. Harrington, MB, ChB, FRCP, Scientific Director of Neurosciences at Huntington Medical Research Institutes.
Dr. Harrington received his medical degree in 1976 from Glasgow University, Scotland. He trained in internal medicine, became a Member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1979, and was elected Fellow in 1993. Dr. Harrington trained in neurology in Scotland, spent 6 years in research at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda Maryland, followed by 9 years at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena as a Member of the Beckman Institute. He joined Huntington Medical Research Institutes (HMRI) and established its Molecular Neurology Program in 1998.
Dr. Harrington is now Scientific Director of Neurosciences at HMRI. He also holds appointments as Research Professor of Neurology and Visiting Associate at the Zilkha Neurogenetics Institute at the University of Southern California, and as Research Professor of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena.
Dr. Harrington is using the best clinical, molecular, and analysis tools to discover what causes migraine and Alzheimer’s disease. His goal is to diagnose these conditions in their earliest stages and discover and monitor corrective treatments.
Author disclosures
Michael G. Harrington, MB, ChB: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
