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AHS 2022 | Future research topics in pediatric headache disorders

Serena Orr, MD, MS, FAHS, The University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, discusses future research questions in pediatric headache disorders. Some of the main unanswered research questions currently investigated at Dr Orr’s lab include if exposure to anxiety and depressive symptoms are associated with different headache-related outcomes and to see if exposure to anxiety and depressive symptom disorders earlier in life are environmental risk factors for migraines. There is also a need to investigate why there could be an association between these two factors – determining whether the driving force is genetic or environmental. With the abundance of novel migraine therapies, there is a level of urgency to complete pediatric clinical trials. With the various challenges associated with acquiring adequate sample sizes in a pediatric setting, collaborative measures are required to determine creative ways to conduct these trials. Furthermore, basic science research is needed to develop evidence-based interventions for the pediatric population; with mounting evidence suggesting that biology differs from the adult population, data cannot be generalized. This interview took place during the 2022 American Headache Society (AHS) Annual Scientific Meeting in Denver, CO.

Disclosures

Serena L. Orr receives royalties from Cambridge University Press. She serves on the editorial board of Headache. She also has research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute.