Headache 

Current Issue Highlights

Highlights from the April 2014 issue:

Autonomic function in migraine patients: ictal and interictal pupillometry
Melissa Cambron, Heidi Maertens, Koen Paemeleire and Luc Crevits
In this infrared pupillometry study we measured pupillometric parameters in migraine patients both in the interictal and ictal phase of disease and compared it to controls. We could conclude that there is evidence for a subtle pupillary sympathetic hypofunction in migraine patients, observed as a prolonged latency to light reflex, which is revealed after the administration of apraclonidine.

Reduced threshold for inhibitory homeostatic responses in migraine motor cortex? A tDCS/TMS study
Giuseppe Cosentino, Filippo Brighina, Simona Talamanca, Piera Paladino, Simone Vigneri, Roberta Baschi, Serena Indovino, Simona Maccora, Enrico Alfonsi and Brigida Fierro
We combine two different brain stimulation techniques to non-invasively investigate, in migraine with and without aura, homeostatic plasticity in the primary motor-cortex. Our results support the hypothesis that in migraine, in the interictal period, the threshold for inducing inhibitory mechanisms of cortical excitability could be lower. According to the rules of cortical homeostatic plasticity, this could represent a protective mechanism activated in response to stressful stimuli in a condition of basal increased cortical responsivity.
 

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