Özet:
Tension-type headache (TTH) affects many individuals worldwide. Although the exact pathogenesis of TTH remains unclear, central, and peripheral mechanisms are considered to play a role in TTH 1. This pilot study aimed to investigate the role of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in the development or chronic inflammation in TTH and to discuss the findings in the light of literature. This pilot study included a patient group comprising three patients with episodic TTH and three patients with chronic TTH (CTTH) aged 18-40 years with no comorbidities and a control group of three patients with no headache. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from all the participants, and both RNA and cDNA were isolated on the same day. The mRNA levels of pain-related TRP channels [TRPA1, TRP vanilloid-1 (TRPV1), TRPV3, TRPV4, TRPM3, and TRPM8] were measured by reverse transcriptase (RT)-quantititave polymerase chain reaction method and were normalized with the levels of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) transcript. Results were analyzed using statistical methods. All three groups were comparable with regard to demographic characteristics. No significant difference was found among the groups with regard to the mRNA levels of the TRP channels normalized by GAPDH, whereas the TRPM8 expression levels were not significantly lower in the CTTH group than in other groups (p=0.066). This study revealed that TRPM8 is likely to have a role in the pathogenesis of TTH, and this role of TRPM8 may be investigated by further studies. © 2021 by Turkish Neurological Society Turkish Journal of Neurology published by Galenos Publishing House.