Time-series analyses of general arousal and headache activity in the natural environment

A naturalistic longitudinal study was conducted to examine temporal relationships between subjective dimensions of general arousal and headache activity. The "tense arousal" dimension of Thayer's biopsychological model of mood and arousal (The Biopsychology of Mood and Arousal. New York: Oxford University Press; 1989) was recorded using the Activation-Deactivation Adjective Check List (ADACL). Recordings were made eight times daily, every 2 hours from awakening, in conjunction with a clinical diary recording head pain intensity and duration. Three time series of daily, half-daily, and bihourly headache and tension scores were modeled and cross-correlated. Results indicated moderate positive same-time correlations, but revealed large interindividual and intraindividual variation in temporal relationships.