Colin Willis' migraine research grant covered by Press Herald

The Portland Press Herald on Feb. 5, 2011 reported on a grant that Colin Willis, Ph.D.,  received from the Migraine Research Foundation to study the mechanisms of blood-brain barrier dysfunction in medication overuse headaches. Willis, UNE Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, will use a behavioral model of medication overuse headache to assess changes in blood-brain barrier marker protein expressions and vascular permeability in specific brain regions. The research he conducts will help lead to a better understanding of the role of the blood-brain barrier, which is fundamental to understanding how migraine pathophysiology develops and how chronic use of medications can impact these processes.  Willis is also a faculty member with the UNE Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences.