REVIEW article
Front. Neurol.
Sec. Headache and Neurogenic Pain
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1622994
This article is part of the Research TopicNovel Pharmacological Approaches in Migraine TherapyView all 3 articles
Migraine is a dysfunction of neuronal Potassium Ion Channels
Provisionally accepted
Girishwaran M
Sajitha Lulu S*- VIT University, Vellore, India
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Migraine is a primary headache disorder characterized by unilateral pain usually with aura, that affects approximately one in six individuals in India. The underlying biomechanical processes of migraine are still poorly understood, and new research is constantly being published. One of the major factors in migraine pathogenesis is the dysfunction of ion channels in the trigeminal nuclei and sensory cortices. Potassium channels are modulators and regulators of neuronal signaling and conductance, playing an important role in maintenance of the membrane potential and neuronal conduction. Therefore, potassium channel dysfunctions are potential factors in migraine pathogenesis, and thus targets for specific antimigraine prophylaxis. This review reveals that potassium channels play a significant role in pathogenesis and management of migraine. Dysfunctions in KATP channels, K2P channels including TRESK and TREK-1, small and large conductance calcium-sensitive potassium channels (SKCa and BKCa), and voltage-gated potassium channels (KV) are known to affect the incidence and progression of migraine in the general populace. KATP openers can induce migraine like phenotype, but KATP blockers have so far not been effective in reducing the intensity of migraine headache. Potassium channels are a potential druggable target for migraine prophylaxis with several compounds currently in preclinical trials.
Keywords: Migraine, Potassium Channels, Druggable targets, glibenclamide, Levcromakalim, acrylamide (S-1)
Received: 05 May 2025; Accepted: 04 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 M and Lulu S. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Sajitha Lulu S, VIT University, Vellore, India
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