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Papers of the Week


Papers: 14 Mar 2020 - 20 Mar 2020


Human Studies

PAIN TYPE:
Migraine/Headache


2020 Mar 12


Cephalalgia

Altered regional cerebral blood flow and hypothalamic connectivity immediately prior to a migraine headache.

Authors

Meylakh N, Marciszewski KK, Di Pietro F, Macefield VG, Macey PM, Henderson LA
Cephalalgia. 2020 Mar 12:333102420911623.
PMID: 32164427.

Abstract

There is evidence of altered resting hypothalamic activity patterns and connectivity prior to a migraine, however it remains unknown if these changes are driven by changes in overall hypothalamic activity levels. If they are, it would corroborate the idea that changes in hypothalamic function result in alteration in brainstem pain processing sensitivity, which either triggers a migraine headache itself or allows an external trigger to initiate a migraine headache. We hypothesise that hypothalamic activity increases immediately prior to a migraine headache and this is accompanied by altered functional connectivity to pain processing sites in the brainstem.