Cluster headaches showed a circadian pattern in 71% of individuals, peaking in late night and early morning, and were associated with 2 main circadian genes. Migraine attacks followed a circadian pattern in 50% of people, peaking from late early morning to early night, and were likewise connected to two core circadian genes. For cluster headache, the meta-analysis discovered a circadian pattern of headache attacks in 71% of individuals. On the genetic level, cluster headache was associated with two primary circadian genes, and five of the nine genes that increase the probability of having cluster headache are genes with a circadian pattern of expression.
Migraine was also associated with 2 core circadian genes, and 110 of the 168 genes associated with migraine were genes with a circadian pattern of expression.
The scientists likewise took a look at research studies on cluster headache and migraine and hormones connected to the circadian system, consisting of cortisol and melatonin.
” The data suggest that both of these headache disorders are extremely circadian at multiple levels, especially cluster headache,” said study author Mark Joseph Burish, MD, PhD, of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in Texas and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “This strengthens the value of the hypothalamus– the area of the brain that houses the main body clock– and its function in cluster headache and migraine. It also raises the concern of the genes of triggers such as sleep modifications that are understood triggers for migraine and are hints for the bodys circadian rhythm.”
For cluster headache, the meta-analysis discovered a circadian pattern of headache attacks in 71% of people. On the hereditary level, cluster headache was associated with two main circadian genes, and 5 of the nine genes that increase the possibility of having cluster headache are genes with a circadian pattern of expression.
Individuals with cluster headache likewise had greater cortisol levels and lower melatonin levels than individuals without cluster headache.
For migraine, the meta-analysis showed a circadian pattern of attacks in 50% of people. While the peak for attacks throughout the day was broad, varying from late morning till early night, there was a circadian low point during the night when couple of attacks took place. Migraine was also related to two core circadian genes, and 110 of the 168 genes associated with migraine were genes with a circadian pattern of expression.
Individuals with migraine had lower levels of melatonin in their urine than people without migraine. In addition, melatonin levels were lower during a migraine attack.
” These results raise the potential for using circadian-based treatments for headache disorders,” Burish said. “This could consist of both treatments based on the circadian rhythm– such as taking medications at certain times of the day– and treatments that cause circadian modifications, which particular medications can do.”
A restriction of the research study was that scientists did not know on elements that could influence the circadian cycle, such as medications, other disorders such as bipolar disorder or circadian rhythm problems such as night shift work.
Referral: “Circadian Features of Cluster Headache and Migraine: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Genetic Analysis” by Barlas Benkli, Sun Young Kim, Nobuya Koike, Chorong Han, Celia Tran, Emma Silva, Yuanqing Yan, Kazuhiro Yagita, Zheng Chen, Seung-Hee Yoo and Mark Joseph Burish, 29 March 2023, Neurology.DOI: 10.1212/ WNL.0000000000207240.
The study was supported by the Will Erwin Headache Research Foundation.
Cluster headaches showed a circadian pattern in 71% of people, peaking in late night and early morning, and were associated with two main circadian genes. Migraine attacks followed a circadian pattern in 50% of people, peaking from late morning to early evening, and were also linked to two core circadian genes.
Meta-analysis: Cluster headache, migraine have strong links to circadian system.
Both cluster headache and migraine have strong links to the circadian system, the internal clock that regulates body processes, according to a meta-analysis published in the March 29, 2023, online problem of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The meta-analysis consisted of all readily available research studies on cluster headache and migraine that consisted of circadian functions. This consisted of info on the timing of headaches during the day and during the year along with studies on whether genes associated with the circadian clock are more typical in people with these headaches.
