Elevated S100B and Neuron Specific Enolase Levels

Authors: Nurgul Yılmaz Kamil Karaali Sebahat Ozdem Mehtap Turkay Ali Unal Babur Dora

Publish Date: 2011/02/04

Volume: 31, Issue: 4, Pages: 579-585

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Abstract

Although migraine has mainly been considered as a benign disease there is cumulative evidence of silent changes in the brain brainstem or cerebellum and subtle subclinical cerebellar dysfunction In this study in order to investigate a possible neuronal and/or glial damage at the cellular level in migraine we measured and compared serum levels of S100B which is a protein marker of glial damage or activation and neuron specific enolase NSE which is a marker of neuronal damage in migraine patients and control subjects Serum levels of S100B and NSE were measured in blood samples from 41 patients with migrainewithout aura taken during a migraine attack ictal and in the attackfree period between migraine attacks interictal and 35 age and sexmatched controls Patients with migrainewithout aura had significantly higher ictal serum levels of S100B and NSE P  005 for both than control subjects whereas in the interictal phase there was a significant increment only in S100B levels P  005 compared to controls On the other hand serum levels of S100B and NSE in ictal and interictal blood samples did not differ significantly The findings of increased ictal serum S100B and NSE levels together with increased interictal levels of S100B suggested that migraine might be associated with glial and/or neuronal damage in the brain and a prolonged disruption of blood–brain barrier Increased interictal serum levels of S100B might point out to an insidious and slow damaging process in migraine patients

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