Atogepant modulates brain connectivity in episodic migraine: a longitudinal exploratory fMRI study
Abstract
Aim: Episodic Migraine (EM) is a highly prevalent and disabling neurological disorder. Recent therapeutic advances have targeted the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a neuropeptide implicated in the pathophysiology of migraine. Promising outcomes have been obtained with monoclonal antibodies and, more recently, with a new class of drugs consisting of small-molecule CGRP receptor antagonists, known as gepants. Atogepant, an oral agent of the gepant class, has demonstrated efficacy in migraine prevention, yet its effects on central brain activity and neurotransmitter circuits remain largely unclear. This exploratory study investigates changes in brain functional connectivity and changes related to key neurotransmitter systems, following 12 weeks of treatment with atogepant in a group of EM patients.
Methods: This is an exploratory single-arm longitudinal study assessing clinical and neuroimaging changes before and after 12 weeks of atogepant treatment. We enrolled patients diagnosed with EM according to ICHD-3 criteria, without prior exposure to anti-CGRP therapies. Participants underwent clinical assessments (monthly migraine days MMD, acute drugs intake MAM) and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) before and after 12 weeks of treatment with atogepant 60 mg once daily. Longitudinal functional connectivity analyses were performed at the whole-brain level with a region-of-interest analysis. Additionally, longitudinal neurotransmitter-related functional connectivity…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 15 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Calcium Ions in the Physiology and Pathology of the Central Nervous System
- AI-powered in silico twins: redefining precision medicine through simulation, personalization, and predictive healthcare
- In silico functional, structural and pathogenicity analysis of missense single nucleotide polymorphisms in human MCM6 gene
- In Silico drug repurposing pipeline using deep learning and structure based approaches in epilepsy
- Targeting serotonin receptors with phytochemicals – an in-silico study
- In silico exploration of anti-prostate cancer compounds from differential expressed genes
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.