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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
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Dural Stimulation and Periorbital von Frey Testing in Mice As a Preclinical Model of Headache
Published on: July 29, 2021
Episodic dural stimulation in awake rats: a model for recurrent headache
Michael L Oshinsky1, Sumittra Gomonchareonsiri
1Department of Neurology, Jefferson Headache Center, Thomas Jefferson University, 1020 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
Headache
|July 20, 2007
Summary
Repeated dural inflammation in rats induced chronic trigeminal hypersensitivity and heightened responses to glyceryl trinitrate (GTN). This new model mimics recurrent headache, aiding research into episodic to chronic pain transitions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pain Research
- Animal Models
Background:
- Recurrent headache, like migraine, involves repeated dural nociceptor activation.
- Patients with recurrent headache exhibit hypersensitivity to nitric oxide donors (e.g., glyceryl trinitrate).
- Existing models lack the episodic nature of dural activation seen in recurrent headache patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a rat model of chronic trigeminal nociceptive hypersensitivity.
- To mimic the recurrent episodic activation of dural nociceptors.
- To investigate the transition from episodic to chronic headache.
Main Methods:
- Dural inflammation induced by repeated inflammatory soup (IS) infusions in rats over 4 weeks.
- Trigeminal sensitivity monitored via periorbital pressure testing.
- Glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) challenges and microdialysis in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC) assessed hypersensitivity.
Main Results:
- Multiple IS infusions (>8) caused long-lasting (>3 weeks) trigeminal hypersensitivity.
- Rats with >8 IS infusions showed potentiated neurochemical and behavioral responses to GTN.
- GTN significantly increased TNC extracellular glutamate levels in rats with repeated IS infusions.
Conclusions:
- Repeated dural stimulation creates chronic trigeminal hypersensitivity and potentiates GTN response.
- This hyperresponsiveness, lasting beyond stimulation, forms the basis of the recurrent headache model.
- The model facilitates study of trigeminovascular activation and episodic to chronic headache mechanisms.
