Reduced Sensitivity of Lymphocyte Beta-Adrenergic Receptors in Migraine

SYNOPSIS Cyclic AMP(CAMP) accumulation induced by isoproterenol (IP) and forskolin in intact lymphocytes was determined in 12 patients with migraine and 12 healthy controls. Our data showed that IP CAMP accumulation (8.20 + 1.08 Pmol/million cells) was significantly (P = 0.033) lower than accumulation in the controls (14.39 + 2.44 Pmol/million cells). Forskolin-induced CAMP did not differ in the two groups. These findings support the association of migraine and a reduced lymphocyte beta-adrenergic receptor sensitivity. An alteration in lymphocyte beta-adrenergic receptor may reflect similar changes in central beta-adrenergic function and may be used as a probe to evaluate its activity.