Current pain and headache reports
-
The cerebral circulation is innervated by sympathetic, parasympathetic, and sensory nerves, which store a considerable number of neurotransmitters. The role of these has been evaluated in primary headaches. ⋯ In parallel with sumatriptan treatment, head pain subsided and neuropeptide release normalized. These data show the involvement of sensory and parasympathetic mechanisms in the pathophysiology of primary headaches.
-
Migraine and cluster headache have been considered entirely separate clinical syndromes, both in routine clinical practice and in the 1988 International Headache Society classification. Neurologists seeing large numbers of patients soon realize, however, that there is a considerable overlap between the two conditions. ⋯ In addition, it is not uncommon for a patient with a lifetime's history of migraine to experience a typical bout of cluster headache, although the reverse is less common. This article reviews the published series of such patients.
-
Acute and persistent neuropathic and inflammatory injuries of healthy animals have contributed importantly to our current understanding of nociception and pain. Studies have differentiated somatic from visceral nociceptive input, and elucidated the pathways of transduction, transmission, perception, and modulation of the input. ⋯ Studies of naturally occurring visceral pain syndromes in animals also have added to our understanding of comparable syndromes in humans. Because of the aversive nature of pain, use of healthy animals to study pain in the service of other animals and humans is a decision to be taken carefully, and carries with it the responsibility of treating the animals as humanely as possible.