title: New developments in migraine prophylaxis.
abstract: Migraine is a common neurological disorder that afflicts > or = 12% of the adult US population. Severe, frequent and disabling attacks require effective prophylaxis. Traditional preventive drugs such as beta-blockers, antidepressants and calcium antagonists, despite their documented efficacy, fail to offer relief for a significant proportion of migraine sufferers. Multiple threads of research over the last 15 years have led to the concept that migraine is generated from a hyperexcitable brain. This opens new perspectives in terms of preventive options, especially regarding the anticonvulsants agents. Additionally, different groups of substances, some of which nominated as non-orthodox agents, have been recently subjected to clinical trials and found to be effective. The aim of this review is to present and discuss the new options for migraine prevention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA. mbigal@aecom.yu.edu
authors.forename: Marcelo E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Bigal
authors.forename: Abouch V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Krymchantowski
authors.forename: Alan M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rapoport
mesh_terms: D026881:Acupuncture; D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants