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Updated: May 27, 2026
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3D-Neuronavigation In Vivo Through a Patient's Brain During a Spontaneous Migraine Headache
Published on: June 2, 2014
Cortical excitability in chronic migraine.
Gianluca Coppola1, Jean Schoenen
1Department of Neurophysiology of Vision and Neuroophthalmology, G.B. Bietti Eye Foundation-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Current Pain and Headache Reports
|November 15, 2011
Summary
Medication overuse can lead to chronic migraine by increasing brain excitability. Understanding these neurobiological changes is key to treating chronic headache disorders and medication-overuse headache.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Pain Research
Background:
- Episodic migraine can progress to chronic migraine (CM).
- Medication overuse is a primary factor in headache chronification.
- The neurobiology of chronification and medication overconsumption requires further elucidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neurophysiological differences between episodic migraine, CM, and medication-overuse headache (MOH).
- To explore the role of cortical excitability and central sensitization in headache chronification.
Main Methods:
- Application of neurophysiological methods used for episodic migraine to CM and MOH patients.
- Assessment of cortical responsivity, including somatosensory and visual cortices.
- Analysis of evoked responses, inhibitory interneuron activity, and habituation patterns.
Main Results:
- Cortical excitability generally increases in CM and MOH.
- Increased amplitude of evoked responses and decreased activity of inhibitory interneurons were observed.
- Different classes of overused medications (triptans, NSAIDs) differentially affect cortical excitability.
Conclusions:
- Generalized central sensitization is a likely key mechanism in headache chronification.
- Neurophysiological findings provide insights into the pathophysiology of CM and MOH.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the neurobiological basis of medication overconsumption in headache disorders.
