Blood-based inflammatory biomarkers in migraine and migraine subgroups

The complex role of inflammation in migraine pathogenesis has been a long-standing subject of discussion. While research on putative blood-based inflammatory biomarkers of migraine is rapidly expanding, they are also often challenged by small study sample sizes, varied methodological approaches and inconsistent adjustment of confounding variables. Understanding the neuroimmunologic mechanisms in migraine is crucial, as it may aid in identifying target molecules to advance precision medicine.
The present thesis comprises three original articles investigating the inflammatory aspects in migraine pathophysiology. The aims are to explore blood levels of selected inflammatory biomarkers in adults with migraine and healthy controls. These included two established inflammatory markers, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP; study I) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α; study II), and one auspicious chronic inflammatory marker, soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR; study III). The findings provided in this thesis support the notion of persistent low-grade inflammation in migraine. Intriguingly, this association appears more closely linked to migraine with aura, which may prompt new avenues for research into subtype targeted migraine therapies.