Migraine headache and a new drug to prevent it

A new drug to prevent migraine

Scientists have developed a new drug namely "Erenumab" to prevent migraine. Erenumab is an injectable drug that blocks pain signals in the brain. The drug, called Erenumab consists of human antibodies, it works by targeting a receptor in the brain where a protein associated with migraines usually binds. This protein transmits migraine pain signals during an attack. Erenumab blocks this receptor thus preventing a migraine attack. The drug reduced the number of monthly migraine attacks by more than 50%. No known side effects of this drug were recorded in Human patients.

• Migraine is a neurological disorder characterized by a severe throbbing pain on one or both sides of the head. In some cases, head pain may be accompanied by other symptoms including nausea, vomiting, numbness or tingling in the face. Patients may also experience sensitivity to light and sound and vision problems.
  There are four main phases of a migraine.
• Phase 1: The prodrome, where a trigger inside or outside of a body causes an abnormal firing of neurons in the brain. It can begin hours or days before the actual migraine starts.
  

• Phase 2 : The aura phase, which includes temporary visual or sensory disturbances that usually strike before other migraine symptoms. Abnormal neuronal firing leads to a wave of electrical hyperactivity that moves across part of the brain that processes signals from your senses. Once the electrical waves stop, the aura goes away. Not everyone experiences an aura when having a migraine, only 20-25% of migraine suffers experience aura.
  

• Phase 3 : The attack phase, also known as headache phase. This is when the actual headache strikes and can last for hours upto several days. The abnormal firing of neurons activates the trigeminal nerve, which surrounds the blood vessels in your head, this nerve is responsible for motor functions and sensation in the face. The attack phase leads to the release of inflammatory substances that cause blood vessels to swell leading to an increase in blood flow around the brain. This is the cause of throbbing, pulsing pain most people experience during migraine, pain receptors are then activated to send pain signals to different parts of the brain. If untreated, migraine can last upto 72 hours.
  

• Phase 4 : The postdrome or recovery phase, where non headache symptoms like fatigue, weakness and impaired concentration can continue for 1-2 days until the brain returns to its normal, pre-activation state.

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