In addition to psychiatric disorders, another debilitating and complex brain disorder of interest to the lab for which effective treatment remains elusive, is chronic migraine. Interestingly, migraine and major depressive disorder not only share a high comorbidity, but there are several evidences that these disorders may share underlying etiology as well (Wang, Chen, and Fuh 2010; Dindo et al. 2017; Leo and Singh 2016). Twin studies and genome-wide association studies have identified shared genetic components across these diseases (Yang et al. 2018; Yang et al. 2016). There are several overlapping neural circuitry components involved in migraine pain and mood/affective disorders. These include the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, thalamus, and periductal gray (Noseda and Burstein 2013; Bernstein and Burstein 2012; Bliss et al. 2016; Williams 2016; Ressler and Mayberg 2007). Interestingly, sensory sensitivity, which plays a key role in migraine (Goadsby et al. 2017), has been observed to be altered in mood/affective disorder patients as well (Serafini et al. 2016). Given the overlapping mechanisms involved in these diseases, our lab aims to study these shared circuits and determine cellular and molecular factors involved in the process. The ultimate goal is to improve early detection, diagnosis and to spear-head the development of therapeutics that are better targeted for helping specific individuals.
Monday, September 16, 2024