Measurement of plasma CGRP levels in pediatric migraine patients

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) has been shown to be a biomarker of migraine in adults. CGRP causes dilatation of both peripheral and cerebral blood vessels. Baseline plasma CGRP levels are significantly higher in migraine adult patients than in healthy controls. Additionally, during a migraine attack, the plasma CGRP levels of both adult and pediatric patients increase and strongly correlate with headache intensity. In this study, the scientists explore whether CGRP could be a biomarker helping stratification of migrainous children, by studying the relation between plasma CGRP levels and the responses to anti-migraine therapies.