Changes in glutamatergic neurotransmission within the migraine cycle

Background Although some neurophysiological studies have showed cortical excitability changes during different phases of the migraine cycle, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying attacks recurrence remain unknown. Here we evaluated the response of the migraine motor-cortex to brief trains of 5-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in order to study, indirectly, presynaptic mechanisms of glutamatergic neurotransmission across the different phases of the migraine cycle.