Migraines are one of the most common debilitating neurological disorders affecting people’s lives. Evidence has emerged indicating that the environment can influence the onset and treatment of various neurological disorders and influence pain. However, the effect of the environment on migraine is still unknown. In a new study, the team analyzed behavioral responses and alterations in protein expression in a female mouse model of chronic migraine. The findings show that, in the presence of environmental enrichment, hyperalgesia and pain thresholds decreased and increased, respectively. while the brain expression of c-FOS and CGRP, proteins associated with pain, decreased. The inflammatory response was also decreased with environmental enrichment. Further analysis showed that pain perception was altered, revealing that environmental enrichment modulates central sensitization. These results may provide the basis for safe interventions in patients with migraine, suggesting that increasing activity and exercise in a rich environment can help mitigate the severity of migraine symptoms.

Original reference: Wang, L. et al. J. Headache Pain 25, 74 (2024)

偏头痛是影响人们生活的最常见的衰弱性神经系统疾病之一。有证据表明，环境可以影响各种神经系统疾病的发作和治疗，并影响疼痛。然而，环境对偏头痛的影响仍不清楚。在一项新研究中，研究小组分析了慢性偏头痛雌性小鼠模型的行为反应和蛋白质表达的变化。研究结果表明，在环境丰富的情况下，痛觉过敏和疼痛阈值分别降低和增加。而与疼痛相关的蛋白质 c-FOS 和 CGRP 的大脑表达则减少。炎症反应也随着环境的丰富而减少。进一步的分析表明，疼痛感知发生了改变，表明环境丰富可以调节中枢敏化。这些结果可能为偏头痛患者的安全干预提供基础，表明在丰富的环境中增加活动和锻炼有助于减轻偏头痛症状的严重程度。

原始参考： Wang, L. et al. J. 头痛25 , 74 (2024)