ArticleThe journal of headache and pain2023
Serum tau protein elevation in migraine: a cross-sectional case-control study.
Article in The journal of headache and pain, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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10 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Early Differential Diagnosis of Epstein-Barr Virus-Associated Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis and Macrophage Activation Syndrome in Children: A Clinical Prediction Model Based on 106 Patients.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Multimodal serum and MRI signatures of neuroaxonal injury in high-frequency migraine.The journal of headache and pain · 2026Article
- Plasma proteomics identifies proteins and pathways associated with incident migraine in 50,668 adults.The journal of headache and pain · 2026Article
- GFAP as a marker of astrocytic damage correlated with medication overuse in migraine.Immunologic research · 2025Article
- Plasma levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein and neurofilament light chain in patients with chronic migraine: a multicenter case-control study.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025Article
- Unraveling the role of CGRP in neurological diseases: a comprehensive exploration to pathological mechanisms and therapeutic implications.Molecular biology reports · 2025Review
- Prevalence and characteristics of rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder in adults with migraine: a cross-sectional screening study.European journal of neurology · 2024Article
- mTBI Biological Biomarkers as Predictors of Postconcussion Syndrome-Review.Brain sciences · 2024Review
- Increased CX3CL1 in cerebrospinal fluid and ictal serum t-tau elevations in migraine: results from a cross-sectional exploratory case-control study.The journal of headache and pain · 2024Article
- Serum neurofilament light chain levels in migraine patients: a monocentric case-control study in China.The journal of headache and pain · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
15 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMigraine is a disorder associated with neuropeptide release, pain and inflammation. Tau protein has recently been linked to inflammatory diseases and can be influenced by neuropeptides such as CGRP, a key neurotransmitter in migraine. Here, we report serum concentrations of total-tau protein in migraine patients and healthy controls.
methodsIn this cross-sectional study, interictal blood samples from n = 92 patients with episodic migraine (EM), n = 93 patients with chronic migraine (CM), and n = 42 healthy matched controls (HC) were studied. We assessed serum total-tau protein (t-tau) and for comparison neurofilament light chain protein (NfL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L (UCH-L1) concentrations using the Neurology 4-plex kit, on a single molecule array HD-X Analyzer (Quanterix Corp Lexington, MA). Matched serum/cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were used for post-hoc evaluations of a central nervous system (CNS) source of relevant findings. We applied non-parametric tests to compare groups and assess correlations.
resultsSerum t-tau concentrations were elevated in EM [0.320 (0.204 to 0.466) pg/mL] and CM [0.304 (0.158 to 0.406) pg/mL] patients compared to HC [0.200 (0.114 to 0.288) pg/mL] (p = 0.002 vs. EM; p = 0.025 vs. CM). EM with aura [0.291 (0.184 to 0.486 pg/mL); p = 0.013] and EM without aura [0.332 (0.234 to 0.449) pg/mL; p = 0.008] patients had higher t-tau levels than HC but did not differ between each other. Subgroup analysis of CM with/without preventive treatment revealed elevated t-tau levels compared to HC only in the non-prevention group [0.322 (0.181 to 0.463) pg/mL; p = 0.009]. T-tau was elevated in serum (p = 0.028) but not in cerebrospinal fluid (p = 0.760). In contrast to t-tau, all proteins associated with cell damage (NfL, GFAP, and UCH-L1), did not differ between groups. DISCUSSION: Migraine is associated with t-tau elevation in serum but not in the CSF. Our clinical study identifies t-tau as a new target for migraine research.
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