Nerve activity in the brain's protective membranes during normal times and migraine
Response Properties of Meningeal Afferents in Health and Migraine
Researchers are using a new imaging method to watch how sensory nerve fibers in the brain's protective layers behave to learn how migraines start in people who get them.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11131283 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project uses two-photon calcium imaging to watch sensory nerve fibers that run through the meninges (the membranes covering the brain) in awake animals through a sealed cranial window. Scientists record how individual meningeal afferents respond during normal movement and to controlled deformations that mimic possible migraine triggers. They compare activity across many fibers to map which types of signals occur in health and which change in migraine-like conditions. The work aims to clarify how normal sensory signaling in these nerves can become a source of migraine pain.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with recurrent migraine headaches, especially those whose pain seems linked to movement or mechanical triggers, are the group most likely to benefit from the findings of this research.
Not a fit: People without migraine or whose headaches are clearly caused by another identifiable condition (such as infection or tumor) are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this basic-science project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal how migraine pain begins and point to new targets for preventing or treating attacks.
How similar studies have performed: Prior single-unit recordings in anesthetized animals provided indirect support for a meningeal role in migraine, but awake two-photon calcium imaging is a newer approach that has already produced surprising, more detailed observations.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Levy, Dan — Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Levy, Dan
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 below.