Abstract text (incl. figure legends and references)

Objective

The pathomechanisms of the most common neurological disorder, migraine, are not fully understood. This may explain why a stable biomarker for the diagnosis of the disease does not exist. Imaging studies have shown structural changes in the gray and white matter of individuals with migraine. Therefore, we aimed to compare markers associated with structural changes or cell damage in the central nervous system or blood-brain barrier disruption in the blood serum from patients with migraine and healthy controls.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, we assessed blood samples from 92 patients with episodic migraine (EM), 93 with chronic migraine (CM), in the interictal phase, and 42 age-matched healthy controls (HC). Serum total-tau protein (t-tau), neurofilament light polypeptide (NFL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) concentrations were studied. We obtained headache characteristics from headache diaries during the 28 days before blood sampling. Samples were analyzed with a Neurology 4-plex assay kit, on a single molecule array HD-1 Analyzer. Non-parametric tests were used to compare groups and assess correlations.

Results

Serum t-tau concentrations were elevated in patients with migraine versus healthy controls (p < 0.05). EM and CM groups were both different from HC (p = 0.002 and p = 0.025, respectively). Migraine aura did not have an effect on t-tau concentrations. The stratification for prophylaxis in CM, showed elevated t-tau concentrations in CM patients without prophylaxis and HC (p = 0.009). No differences between EM and CM, versus HC for NFL, GFAP, and UCH-L1 were observed (p = 0.507, p = 0.850, and p = 0.195).

Conclusion

This study did not find biochemical evidence for cell damage in the central nervous system in patients with migraine. The increase of t-tau concentrations in serum may be associated with the disruption of the blood-brain barrier in migraine.