Biomarkers in Migraine.

BACKGROUND

Disability from migraine has a profound impact on the world's economy. Research has been ongoing to identify biomarkers to aid in diagnosis and treatment.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to highlight the purported diagnostic and therapeutic migraine biomarkers and their role in precision medicine.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar, and clinicaltrials.gov using keywords: "migraine" OR "headache" combined with "biomarkers" OR "marker." Other keywords included "serum," "cerebral spinal fluid," "inflammatory," and "neuroimaging."

RESULTS

After a review of 88 papers, we find the literature supports numerous biomarkers in the diagnosis of migraine. Therapeutic biomarkers, while not as extensively published, highlight calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide-38 (PACAP-38) as biomarkers with the most substantiated clinical relevance. Genetic markers mainly focusing on gene mutations with resultant biochemical alterations continue to be studied and show promise.

CONCLUSION

Although there are several proposed biomarkers for migraine, continued research is needed to substantiate their role in clinical practice.