Drug vs Bright Lights?

Having a migraine attack?  Bright light bothering you (or any light, for that matter)?  What if you could take a drug and solve the problem?

We know that people with migraine are bothered by bright lights (photophobia).  Almost all of them, at one time or another.  In fact, migraineurs tend to be more sensitive to light even when they’re not having a migraine attack.

There have been some excellent helps for this problem, such as precision-tinted glasses.  But what if your other symptoms weren’t too bad – and you could take a drug to eliminate the problem?  Would you be able to go to work?

Did you know that humans can sense light even when they can’t see?  That means that even a blind person will still have a biological clock aligned to the sunrise and sunset.

What senses the light?  Scientists believe it’s melanopsin, a photopigment in the retina.  What if we could block the messages that melanopsin sent to the brain?

But researchers wanted a drug that was very melanopsin-specific.  They wanted to block melanopsin, not anything else.

Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies believe they’ve done it.  Sulfonamide compounds they call opsinamides seem to do the job, and yes, block “light aversion”.

Researcher Satchin Panda is excited about the possibilities:

There are many people who would like to work when they have migraine pain exacerbated by light.  If these drugs could stop the light-sensitivity associated with the headaches, it would enable them to be much more productive.

Maybe so.  I know there are many people who could, at times, get a little more (or a lot more) done if the light wasn’t so excruciating.

Could this theoretical drug even stop some migraine attacks by eliminating light as a trigger?

There’s also the possibility that night shift workers could use the drug to more effectively adjust to their new schedule.  Considering the accidents and challenges in maintaining productivity with shifts at odd hours, there’s no doubt a solution would be welcome.

And might there be a solution here for seasonal depression?

However, would the temporary blocking of melanopsin cause unforeseen problems?  Hopefully we’ll learn more as studies continue.

Study overview:  Small-molecule antagonists of melanopsin-mediated phototransduction
Press release:  Drug blocks light sensors in eye that may trigger migraine attacks
Also interesting:  The Many Roles of Melanopsin
via:  Robbins Headache Clinic