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Migraine and Epilepsy: A Focus on Overlapping Clinical, Pathophysiological, Molecular, and Therapeutic Aspects

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Abstract

The association of epilepsy and migraine has been long recognized. Migraine and epilepsy are both chronic disorders with episodic attacks. Furthermore, headache may be a premonitory or postdromic symptom of seizures, and migraine headaches may cause seizures per se (migralepsy). Migraine and epilepsy are comorbid, sharing pathophysiological mechanisms and common clinical features. Several recent studies identified common genetic and molecular substrates for migraine and epilepsy, including phenotypic-genotypic correlations with mutations in the CACNA1A, ATP1A2, and SCN1A genes, as well as in syndromes due to mutations in the SLC1A3, POLG, and C10orF2 genes. Herein, we review the relationship between migraine and epilepsy, focusing on clinical aspects and some recent pathophysiological and molecular studies.

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Acknowledgments

Dr. Marino M. Bianchin is supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico grant #305501/2007-0.

Disclosure

Dr. Marcelo E. Bigal is a full-time employee of Merck & Co., and holds stocks and stock options in the company. No other potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neurology, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Ramiro Barcelos 2.350 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, 90035-903, Brazil

    Marino Muxfeldt Bianchin

  2. Medical Science Postgraduate Program, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    Renata Gomes Londero

  3. Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil

    José Eduardo Lima

  4. Global Director of Scientific Affairs: Neurology and Psychiatry, Merck Research Laboratories, Upper Gwynedd, PA, USA

    Marcelo Eduardo Bigal

  5. Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Marcelo Eduardo Bigal

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  1. Marino Muxfeldt Bianchin
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  2. Renata Gomes Londero
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  4. Marcelo Eduardo Bigal
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Correspondence to Marino Muxfeldt Bianchin.

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Bianchin, M.M., Londero, R.G., Lima, J.E. et al. Migraine and Epilepsy: A Focus on Overlapping Clinical, Pathophysiological, Molecular, and Therapeutic Aspects. Curr Pain Headache Rep 14, 276–283 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-010-0121-y

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