Clinical usefulness of a dopaminergic agonist in headache diagnosis

The dopaminergic system seems to be involved in pain modulation. In a 1983 publication, the administration of a dopaminergic agonist has been proposed as a test able to distinguish migraine from other cephalalgia. In the present study, 123 people were tested, 102 of them being migraine patients and the others being normal subjects. The test showed highly specificity for headache patients when compared to normal subjects, and was highly specific for migraine patients when compared to headache patients. Data are discussed considering the clinical diagnostic value, pathophysiological and therapeutic aspects.