Related Experiment Videos
Functional neuroimaging of primary headache disorders
Anna S Cohen1, Peter J Goadsby
1Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
Current Pain and Headache Reports
|March 5, 2005
Summary
Neuroimaging reveals primary headache disorders like migraine are brain-driven, not vascular. Functional imaging studies help understand and target the neural causes of these common and severe headache conditions.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Primary headache disorders, including migraine and cluster headache, were historically viewed as vascular conditions.
- Recent clinical evidence increasingly suggests a primary neurological origin for these headaches.
- Advances in neuroimaging have been pivotal in shifting this understanding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review functional imaging studies investigating the neural basis of primary headache disorders.
- To highlight the role of neuroimaging in understanding migraine, cluster headache, and other headache syndromes.
- To discuss the application of newer techniques in identifying neural substrates.
Main Methods:
- Review of functional neuroimaging studies (PET, SPECT, fMRI).
- Inclusion of studies on migraine, cluster headache, rarer headache syndromes, and experimental head pain.
- Consideration of advanced techniques like voxel-based morphometry and magnetic resonance spectrometry.
Main Results:
- Functional imaging provides strong evidence that primary headaches originate in the brain.
- These techniques help elucidate the specific neural networks involved in different headache types.
- Ongoing research utilizes these methods to identify potential therapeutic targets.
Conclusions:
- The brain, not vasculature, is the primary driver of common headache disorders.
- Functional neuroimaging is crucial for understanding the pathophysiology of primary headaches.
- Continued application of advanced imaging techniques will refine therapeutic strategies for headache relief.