NCT04796766

Human Electrophysiological Model to Quantify the CGRP-related Axon Reflex of Trigeminal Afferents

Establishment of a Human Electrophysiological Model to Quantify the Calcitonin Gene-related Peptide (CGRP)-Related Axon Reflex of Trigeminal Afferents and Its Evaluation as a Clinical Tool to Assess and Predict Treatment Effects of Migraine Prophylaxis

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 72 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University Hospital Tuebingen · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The proposed project aims at establishing Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-Related Axon Reflex of Trigeminal Afferents as a neurophysiological biomarker for migraine.

Detailed description

The proposed project aims at establishing a neurophysiological biomarker for migraine. Migraine is one of the world's most disabling diseases and its prophylactic treatment is time and cost-consuming. Since each patient responds differently and unpredictably to preventive medication, physicians are forced to try prophylactic drugs one by one. Recently, a new group of therapeutic agents targeting the neuropeptide Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) has been launched for migraine treatment. CGRP is stored in trigeminal afferents and released to meningeal blood vessels during acute migraine attacks leading to a vasodilating response. In an experimental setting, the release of CGRP from afferent nerve fibers in the skin can be induced by transdermal electrical stimulation. The subsequently evoked skin erythema, called 'flare reaction', can be quantified by laser Doppler imaging techniques. Never before, research studies used this experimental model in either trigeminally innervated skin or migraine patients. I therefore propose to establish this model to 1) test the specificity of an evoked 'flare response' in the trigeminal territory for the pathophysiology of migraine, 2) investigate the effect of CGRP-targeting anti-migraine drugs on this outcome parameter and 3) evaluate the impact of this model to predict the treatment response to drugs interfering with the CGRP-pathway. This study is a highly innovative approach towards tailored migraine treatment.

Conditions

• Migraine

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	High frequency stimulation (HFS)	Electrical stimuli via circular electrode array. The electrode array serves as cathode placed above the eyebrow. A surface electrode (anode) will be placed on the temple. Electrical stimuli will be applied via a constant current stimulator. The stimulus intensity for the electrophysiological protocol is adjusted to the 10-fold of the detection threshold. A number of 5 electrical pulses (2 ms, 100 Hertz (Hz)), 10 second intervals.
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Low-frequency sinusoidal transcutaneous stimulation (sLFS)	Stimulation of C-nociceptors with constant current stimulator. Electrodes (placed on the proband's forehead. Stimulation by sine wave pulses of 250 ms duration (4 Hz), intensities inducing a pain intensity of 50/100 on a visual analogue scale from 0-100.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-02-01
• Primary completion: 2024-12-01
• Completion: 2024-12-01
• First posted: 2021-03-15
• Last updated: 2023-12-15

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Germany