Abstract
Serotonin is thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of primary headache, with migraine generally considered a 'low serotonin' and tension-type headache (TTH) a 'high serotonin' disorder. The purpose of this study was to determine whether whole blood (WB) serotonin could predict headache status (classified according to International Headache Society criteria) 5 years following venipuncture in a representative birth cohort. After controlling for factors such as platelet count, diurnal and seasonal variation, psychiatric medications and diagnosis, low whole blood serotonin predicted migraine in males only. Among Study members with a parental history of headache, however, low whole blood serotonin and high blood serotonin predicted migraine and tension-type headache, respectively, regardless of gender. The findings suggest that biochemical differences between headache subtypes may exist.