The American Heart Association and the American Headache Society have joined forces for the first time to co-fund an Innovative Project Award aimed at uncovering how migraine and other headache disorders affect cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health. The $200,000 grant, which supports a two-year project, prioritizes high-risk, high-reward research that could lead to new ways to prevent stroke and other vascular complications in people with migraines.
The co-funded award was given to Juliana Navia Pelaez, Ph.D., an assistant professor at St. Louis University School of Medicine, for her project titled “Neurogenic Priming of Perivascular Macrophages by Migraine-Associated Peptides Increases Stroke Risk.” Pelaez’s research investigates whether repeated migraine attacks overactivate the brain’s own immune cells, which normally protect blood vessels, potentially weakening them and making the brain more vulnerable to stroke. “If migraines happen over and over, these immune cells might stay ‘on’ for too long. When this happens, they might accidentally make the blood vessels weaker,” Pelaez said. “If the vessels get weaker, the brain might have a harder time protecting itself from a stroke.” Her team will identify which signals during a migraine activate these immune cells and compare their reactions after a stroke in the presence and absence of migraine.
In addition to the co-funded award, the American Heart Association has funded three other Innovative Project Awards for 2026 to explore the headache-cerebrovascular connection. Andrea M. Harriott, M.D., Ph.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital, will study whether long-term exposure to migraine with aura directly damages brain blood vessels. Matthew T. Bender, M.D., of the University of Rochester, will develop a new MRI method to examine the brain’s waste removal system in idiopathic intracranial hypertension, a headache disorder affecting overweight women of childbearing age. Neil Dani, Ph.D., of Vanderbilt University, will investigate how the choroid plexus may link obesity and migraine through inflammatory pathways, and whether existing drugs like acetazolamide can reduce swelling and pain signaling.
These projects represent a significant step forward in understanding the complex relationship between migraine and cardiovascular health. Migraine affects more than a billion people worldwide, and some individuals with migraine face a higher risk of stroke, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. By supporting research that bridges neurology and cardiology, the two organizations aim to accelerate discoveries that could lead to new preventive strategies.
The American Heart Association has now funded more than $6.3 billion in cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and brain health research since 1949, making it the largest non-profit, non-government supporter of such research in the United States. The American Headache Society, a professional society dedicated to improving the care of people with headache disorders, brings its expertise in migraine and face pain to the collaboration. Together, they underscore a shared commitment to advancing brain health research. For more information, visit heart.org and stroke.org.
