Migraine prognosis in adolescents
Funded at Washington University · NIH-11365079 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study follows adolescents with migraine to understand why some get better, worse, or stay the same over puberty and what neural, hormonal, and psychological factors influence those changes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $617,388 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS134986-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11365079 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adolescents aged roughly 10–13 with episodic migraine, undergoing active follow-up, and willing to participate in behavioral interventions and related assessments.
✕Less likely to help
Teens whose migraine course does not align with the studied hormonal or neural patterns may not experience targeted benefits.
What this research studies
Researchers at Washington University will enroll adolescents with episodic migraine to identify baseline factors that predict prognosis, including hormonal, brain connectivity, and psychophysical measures. The project will track how these factors relate to changes in headache frequency, especially around puberty, and will examine how a behavioral intervention relates to these changes. The team will look at testosterone levels, conditioned pain modulation, and amygdala connectivity to see how they forecast migraine trajectories. Over time, the study will map the timing of hormonal and neural shifts relative to worsening or improvement in headaches. This work could inform personalized approaches to manage migraine in teens.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help tailor treatments for teens with migraine and guide timing of behavioral or hormonal interventions.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary data suggest that certain neural and hormonal measures may predict changes in migraine symptoms during adolescence.
Where this research is happening
-
Washington University
Saint Louis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nahman-Averbuch, Hadas — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Nahman-Averbuch, Hadas
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.