Danish Headache Center

The Danish Headache Center (DHC) is an academic medical center at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 2001 and currently employs more than 100 health care professionals, scientists and administrative staff. The DHC focuses on health care services, education, and research related to headache disorders and facial pains.
Clinical Activities.
The DHC offers specialized and multidisciplinary approaches to clinical management of headache disorders and facial pains. The clinical unit is led by Professor Rigmor Jensen, Associate Professor Lars Bendtsen, and Team Leader Helle Jensby.
Educational Activities.
The DHC hosts the international Master of Headache Disorders Programme in collaboration with the University of Copenhagen.
The Danish Knowledge Center on Headache Disorders also resides at the DHC and aims to increase awareness on headache disorders in Denmark as well as organize educational activities.
Research Activities.
The DHC is widely known for its research activities and significant contributions to headache sciences. As of 2021, the DHC has the following professors and associate professors employed:
(1) Dr. Messoud Ashina, Professor of Neurology, Director of the Danish Knowledge Center on Headache Disorders, and President of the International Headache Society.
(2) Dr. Jes Olesen, Professor of Neurology, Founder of the DHC, and Co-Recipient of the Brain Prize.
(3) Dr. Rigmor Jensen, Professor of Neurology.
(4) Dr. Faisal Amin, Associate Professor of Neurology and President of the Danish Headache Society.
(5) Dr. Henrik Schytz, Associate Professor of Neurology.
(6) Dr. Lars Bendtsen, Associate Professor of Neurology.
Major Research Contributions by Scientists from the Danish Headache Center (past 10 years).
Migraine.
Ashina M. Migraine. N Engl J Med. 2020 Nov 5;383(19):1866-1876. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1915327. PMID 33211930.
Ashina M, Katsarava Z, Do TP, Buse DC, Pozo-Rosich P, Özge A, Krymchantowski AV, Lebedeva ER, Ravishankar K, Yu S, Sacco S, Ashina S, Younis S, Steiner TJ, Lipton RB. Migraine: epidemiology and systems of care. Lancet. 2021 Apr 17;397(10283):1485-1495. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32160-7. Epub 2021 Mar 25. PMID 33773613.
Ashina M, Terwindt GM, Al-Karagholi MA, de Boer I, Lee MJ, Hay DL, Schulte LH, Hadjikhani N, Sinclair AJ, Ashina H, Schwedt TJ, Goadsby PJ. Migraine: disease characterisation, biomarkers, and precision medicine. Lancet. 2021 Apr 17;397(10283):1496-1504. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32162-0. Epub 2021 Mar 25. PMID 33773610.
Ashina M, Buse DC, Ashina H, Pozo-Rosich P, Peres MFP, Lee MJ, Terwindt GM, Halker Singh R, Tassorelli C, Do TP, Mitsikostas DD, Dodick DW. Migraine: integrated approaches to clinical management and emerging treatments. Lancet. 2021 Apr 17;397(10283):1505-1518. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32342-4. Epub 2021 Mar 25. PMID 33773612.
Ashina M, Hansen JM, Á Dunga BO, Olesen J. Human models of migraine - short-term pain for long-term gain. Nat Rev Neurol. 2017 Dec;13(12):713-724. doi: 10.1038/nrneurol.2017.137. Epub 2017 Oct 6. PMID 28984313.
Ashina M, Hansen JM, Do TP, Melo-Carrillo A, Burstein R, Moskowitz MA. Migraine and the trigeminovascular system-40 years and counting. Lancet Neurol. 2019 Aug;18(8):795-804. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(19)30185-1. Epub 2019 May 31. PMID 31160203; PMCID: PMC7164539.
Al-Karagholi MA, Hansen JM, Guo S, Olesen J, Ashina M. Opening of ATP-sensitive potassium channels causes migraine attacks: a new target for the treatment of migraine. Brain. 2019 Sep 1;142(9):2644-2654. doi: 10.1093/brain/awz199. PMID 31292608.
Al-Karagholi MA, Ghanizada H, Nielsen CAW, Hougaard A, Ashina M. Opening of ATP sensitive potassium channels causes migraine attacks with aura. Brain. 2021 Mar 26:awab136. doi: 10.1093/brain/awab136. Epub ahead of print. PMID 33768245.
Ghanizada H, Al-Karagholi MA, Walker CS, Arngrim N, Rees T, Petersen J, Siow A, Mørch-Rasmussen M, Tan S, O'Carroll SJ, Harris P, Skovgaard LT, Jørgensen NR, Brimble M, Waite JS, Rea BJ, Sowers LP, Russo AF, Hay DL, Ashina M. Amylin Analog Pramlintide Induces Migraine-like Attacks in Patients. Ann Neurol. 2021 Jun;89(6):1157-1171. doi: 10.1002/ana.26072. Epub 2021 Apr 8. PMID 33772845.
Ghanizada H, Al-Mahdi Al-Karagholi M, Arngrim N, Mørch-Rasmussen M, Walker CS, Hay DL, Ashina M. Effect of Adrenomedullin on Migraine-Like Attacks in Patients With Migraine: A Randomized Crossover Study. Neurology. 2021 May 18;96(20):e2488-e2499. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000011930. Epub 2021 Apr 7. PMID 33827963.
Amin FM, Asghar MS, Hougaard A, Hansen AE, Larsen VA, de Koning PJ, Larsson HB, Olesen J, Ashina M. Magnetic resonance angiography of intracranial and extracranial arteries in patients with spontaneous migraine without aura: a cross-sectional study. Lancet Neurol. 2013 May;12(5):454-61. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(13)70067-X. Epub 2013 Apr 9. PMID 23578775.
Deen M, Hougaard A, Hansen HD, Schain M, Dyssegaard A, Knudsen GM, Ashina M. Association Between Sumatriptan Treatment During a Migraine Attack and Central 5-HT1B Receptor Binding. JAMA Neurol. 2019 Jul 1;76(7):834-840. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.0755. PMID 31135819; PMCID: PMC6547094.
Khan S, Amin FM, Christensen CE, Ghanizada H, Younis S, Olinger ACR, de Koning PJH, Larsson HBW, Ashina M. Meningeal contribution to migraine pain: a magnetic resonance angiography study. Brain. 2019 Jan 1;142(1):93-102. doi: 10.1093/brain/awy300. PMID 30590467.
Gaist D, Hougaard A, Garde E, Reislev NL, Wiwie R, Iversen P, Madsen CG, Blaabjerg M, Nielsen HH, Krøigård T, Østergaard K, Kyvik KO, Hjelmborg J, Madsen K, Siebner HR, Ashina M. Migraine with visual aura associated with thicker visual cortex. Brain. 2018 Mar 1;141(3):776-785. doi: 10.1093/brain/awx382. PMID 29360944.
Arngrim N, Hougaard A, Ahmadi K, Vestergaard MB, Schytz HW, Amin FM, Larsson HBW, Olesen J, Hoffmann MB, Ashina M. Heterogenous migraine aura symptoms correlate with visual cortex functional magnetic resonance imaging responses. Ann Neurol. 2017 Dec;82(6):925-939. doi: 10.1002/ana.25096. Epub 2017 Dec 4. PMID 29130510.
Hougaard A, Amin FM, Larsson HB, Rostrup E, Ashina M. Increased intrinsic brain connectivity between pons and somatosensory cortex during attacks of migraine with aura. Hum Brain Mapp. 2017 May;38(5):2635-2642. doi: 10.1002/hbm.23548. Epub 2017 Feb 27. PMID 28240389; PMCID: PMC6867076.
Gaist D, Garde E, Blaabjerg M, Nielsen HH, Krøigård T, Østergaard K, Møller HS, Hjelmborg J, Madsen CG, Iversen P, Kyvik KO, Siebner HR, Ashina M. Migraine with aura and risk of silent brain infarcts and white matter hyperintensities: an MRI study. Brain. 2016 Jul;139(Pt 7):2015-23. doi: 10.1093/brain/aww099. Epub 2016 May 2. PMID 27190013; PMCID: PMC4939694.
Arngrim N, Schytz HW, Britze J, Amin FM, Vestergaard MB, Hougaard A, Wolfram F, de Koning PJ, Olsen KS, Secher NH, Larsson HB, Olesen J, Ashina M. Migraine induced by hypoxia: an MRI spectroscopy and angiography study. Brain. 2016 Mar;139(Pt 3):723-37. doi: 10.1093/brain/awv359. Epub 2015 Dec 16. PMID 26674653.
Amin FM, Hougaard A, Magon S, Asghar MS, Ahmad NN, Rostrup E, Sprenger T, Ashina M. Change in brain network connectivity during PACAP38-induced migraine attacks: A resting-state functional MRI study. Neurology. 2016 Jan 12;86(2):180-7. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000002261. Epub 2015 Dec 16. PMID 26674334.
Hougaard A, Amin FM, Hoffmann MB, Rostrup E, Larsson HB, Asghar MS, Larsen VA, Olesen J, Ashina M. Interhemispheric differences of fMRI responses to visual stimuli in patients with side-fixed migraine aura. Hum Brain Mapp. 2014 Jun;35(6):2714-23. doi: 10.1002/hbm.22361. Epub 2013 Sep 3. PMID 24038870; PMCID: PMC6869529.
Cluster Headache.
Vollesen ALH, Snoer A, Beske RP, Guo S, Hoffmann J, Jensen RH, Ashina M. Effect of Infusion of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide on Cluster Headache Attacks: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Neurol. 2018 Oct 1;75(10):1187-1197. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2018.1675. PMID 29987329; PMCID: PMC6233850.
Post-Traumatic Headache.
Ashina H, Iljazi A, Al-Khazali HM, Christensen CE, Amin FM, Ashina M, Schytz HW. Hypersensitivity to Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide in Post-Traumatic Headache. Ann Neurol. 2020 Dec;88(6):1220-1228. doi: 10.1002/ana.25915. Epub 2020 Oct 6. PMID 32959458.
Ashina H, Iljazi A, Al-Khazali HM, Ashina S, Jensen RH, Amin FM, Ashina M, Schytz HW. Persistent post-traumatic headache attributed to mild traumatic brain injury: Deep phenotyping and treatment patterns. Cephalalgia. 2020 May;40(6):554-564. doi: 10.1177/0333102420909865. Epub 2020 Feb 26. PMID 32102546.
Ashina H, Porreca F, Anderson T, Amin FM, Ashina M, Schytz HW, Dodick DW. Post-traumatic headache: epidemiology and pathophysiological insights. Nat Rev Neurol. 2019 Oct;15(10):607-617. doi: 10.1038/s41582-019-0243-8. Epub 2019 Sep 16. PMID 31527806.
Medication-Overuse Headache.
Carlsen LN, Munksgaard SB, Nielsen M, Engelstoft IMS, Westergaard ML, Bendtsen L, Jensen RH. Comparison of 3 Treatment Strategies for Medication Overuse Headache: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Neurol. 2020 Sep 1;77(9):1069-1078. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2020.1179. PMID 32453406; PMCID: PMC7251504.