AHS 2022 | The effect of HDAC6 inhibitors on neuronal complexity

Amynah Pradhan, PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, discusses how medications may impact alterations in neural complexity. Tubulin is crucial in neurite growth and degradation. Therefore, by directly targeting the cytoskeleton with a histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) inhibitor, it is possible to acylate the tubulin to make it more flexible and stronger. Since a decrease in neuronal complexity was observed in head pain processing regions, neuronal complexity was restored by increasing tubulin acylation with an HDAC6 inhibitor – corresponding with anti-migraine effects in the nitroglycerine model and cortical spreading depression model. Furthermore, by looking at CGRP receptor antagonists, it was found that they also restore neuronal complexity in the same regions of the brain – inferring there is a correlation between effective migraine therapy and restoration of neuronal complexity. This drastically opens the possibilities when treating migraine. This interview took place during the 2022 American Headache Society (AHS) Meeting in Denver, CO.