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Hyperleptinemia increases the susceptibility of the cortex to generate cortical spreading depression

Kitamura E, Kanazawa N, Hamada J

Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache, 2015

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a risk factor for episodic migraine to develop into chronic migraine; hence, it is speculated that obesity and hyperleptinemia are associated with migraine. We hypothesized that leptin is involved in the mechanisms of cortical spreading depression (CSD). Therefore, we examined whether leptin affected a rat model of CSD to clarify the relationship between leptin and migraine.

METHODS: We evaluated the effect of intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of leptin on a rat CSD model. We then examined whether once-a-day intraperitoneal administration of leptin for seven days (as a chronic hyperleptinemia model) affected rat CSD models. Finally, we induced CSD in Zucker fatty (ZF) rats, which is a well-known model of obesity.

RESULTS: In the parietal cortex, the percent change in cerebral blood flow and direct current (DC) potential decreased after ICV administration of leptin. A similar decrease in DC potential was observed in rats treated with intraperitoneal leptin. The number of CSDs increased significantly in rats given intraperitoneal leptin and in ZF rats.

CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that leptin is involved in the mechanisms of CSD.

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