The journal of headache and pain
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We systematically reviewed data about the effect of exogenous estrogens and progestogens on the course of migraine during reproductive age. Thereafter a consensus procedure among international experts was undertaken to develop statements to support clinical decision making, in terms of possible effects on migraine course of exogenous estrogens and progestogens and on possible treatment of headache associated with the use or with the withdrawal of hormones. ⋯ As the quality of available data is poor, further research is needed on this topic to improve the knowledge about the use of estrogens and progestogens in women with migraine. There is a need for better management of headaches related to the use of hormones or their withdrawal.
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There is limited literature on prolonged aura (PA - defined as an aura including at least one symptom for > 1 h and < 7d), and there are no prospective studies. The aim of this study is to characterize prospectively the phenotype and prevalence of PA. ⋯ PAs are quite common. They do not differ from the other auras (even when their duration extends to 2 and/or 4 h) with the exception of a higher number of non-VS.
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Limited histopathology studies have suggested that reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndromes (RCVS) does not present with vascular wall inflammation. Previous vascular imaging studies have had inconsistent vascular wall enhancement findings in RCVS patients. The aim of this study was to determine whether absence of arterial wall pathology on imaging is a universal finding in patients with RCVS. ⋯ Almost half of our RCVS patients exhibited imaging enhancement of diseased vessels, and it was persistent for approximately a third of those patients with follow-up imaging. Both acute and persistent vascular wall enhancement may be unhelpful for differentiating RCVS from central nervous system vasculitis or subclinical atherosclerosis.
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Familial hemiplegic migraine type 1 (FHM1) is a form of migraine with aura caused by heterozygous mutations in 4 genes: CACNA1A, ATP1A2, SNC1A and PRRT2, but further heterogeneity is expected. Here have been described clinical and molecular features in patients suffering from migraine with Aura (MA), without (MO) and hemiplegic migraine attacks. Next Generation Sequencing by TruSeq Custom Amplicon for CACNA1A and ATP1A2 gene has been performed. All genetic variants have been confirmed by Sanger sequencing and all samples were also analyzed with MLPA assay for ATP1A2-CACNA1A genes to detect duplication or deletion. All MLPA data were verified by Real Time PCR. ⋯ This work highlights the importance to complement analysis as direct sequencing with quantitative analysis (MLPA). In fact, intragenic CACNA1A rearrangements have been detected. Our work demonstrated that deletions in CACNA1A gene may be associated also to different migraine phenotypes.
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Therapeutic management of Chronic Migraine (CM), often associated with Medication Overuse Headache (MOH), is chiefly empirical, as no biomarker predicting or correlating with clinical efficacy is available to address therapeutic choices. The present study searched for neurophysiological correlates of Greater Occipital Nerve Block (GON-B) effects in CM. ⋯ GON-B may be effective in the treatment of CM, with or without MOH. The pre-treatment IDAP increase is compatible with a weak central serotonergic tone, which is strengthened after GON-B, suggesting that serotonergic mechanisms may play a role in CM and its reversion to episodic migraine. Since the degree of post-treatment IDAP decrease is correlated with clinical improvement, IDAP might be potentially useful as an early predictor of GON-B efficacy.