Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide-Mediated Trigeminal Ganglionitis: The Biomolecular Link between Temporomandibular Disorders and Chronic Headaches.

A bidirectional causal relationship has been established between temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) and chronic headaches. Recent advances in the neurobiology of chronic pain offer a framework for understanding the comorbidity between these two conditions that might reside in the shared biomolecular mechanisms of peripheral and central sensitization. The initiation of these processes is inflammatory in nature and is most likely mediated by key molecules, including calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP).