Current pain and headache reports
-
Curr Pain Headache Rep · Nov 2023
ReviewAnalgesia for the Bayesian Brain: How Predictive Coding Offers Insights Into the Subjectivity of Pain.
In order to better treat pain, we must understand its architecture and pathways. Many modulatory approaches of pain management strategies are only poorly understood. This review aims to provide a theoretical framework of pain perception and modulation in order to assist in clinical understanding and research of analgesia and anesthesia. ⋯ Limitations of traditional models for pain have driven the application of new data analysis models. The Bayesian principle of predictive coding has found increasing application in neuroscientific research, providing a promising theoretical background for the principles of consciousness and perception. It can be applied to the subjective perception of pain. Pain perception can be viewed as a continuous hierarchical process of bottom-up sensory inputs colliding with top-down modulations and prior experiences, involving multiple cortical and subcortical hubs of the pain matrix. Predictive coding provides a mathematical model for this interplay.
-
Curr Pain Headache Rep · Nov 2023
ReviewThe Spectrum of Headache in Leptomeningeal Metastases: A Comprehensive Review with Clinical Management Guidelines.
Headaches are a common, oftentimes debilitating symptom in patients with leptomeningeal metastases. ⋯ The third edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders provides a useful diagnostic framework for headaches secondary to leptomeningeal metastases based on the temporal relationship of headache with disease onset, change in headache severity in correlation with leptomeningeal disease burden, and accompanying neurologic signs such as cranial nerve palsies and encephalopathy. However, headaches in patients with leptomeningeal metastases can be further defined by a wide range of varying cancer- and treatment-related pathophysiologies, each requiring a tailored approach. A thorough review of the literature and expert opinion on five observed headache sub-classifications in patients with leptomeningeal metastases is provided, with attention to necessary diagnostic testing, recommended first-line treatments, and prevention strategies.
-
Migraine is prevalent in patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). The purpose of this review is to summarize and interpret studies that examine stress response systems in patients with migraine, focusing on their relevance to the pathologies associated with POTS. Important structural and functional components of the stress response network are also reviewed. ⋯ In patients with migraine, studies examining the autonomic nervous system have demonstrated interictal sympathetic hypofunction and ictal sympathetic hyperfunction, while those focusing on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis have demonstrated elevated responsivity. There is evidence that activation of these stress response systems during a migraine episode may exacerbate vascular dysfunction and play a role in the development of central sensitization. Activation of the stress response systems during an episode of migraine has the potential to exacerbate the pathology of POTS. Treatment approaches for the patient with comorbid episodic migraine and POTS should consider the etiology of POTS.
-
The purpose of this review is to evaluate the role of SPECT/CT in identifying facet joint arthropathy and the outcomes of interventions with SPECT/CT as an adjunct. ⋯ A positive finding of facet arthropathy on SPECT/CT is associated with a higher likelihood of a unilateral procedure and a significantly more effective intervention compared with those performed on patients with facet arthropathy diagnosed only by clinical and/or radiologic examination. Surgical treatment of SPECT/CT-positive findings appears to have a good effect; however, due to limitations in the available studies, no strong conclusion can be drawn. SPECT/CT has a good correlation identifying pain generators in chronic neck and back pain. SPECT/CT-targeted facet interventions demonstrate a higher success rate, but SPECT/CT is not recommended as a first-line diagnostic tool prior to diagnostic facet interventions. More robust studies are needed to confirm the higher success of surgical treatment for SPECT/CT-positive facet arthropathy.
-
Historical evidence suggests a shared underlying etiology for migraine and gastrointestinal (GI) disorders that involves the gut-brain axis. Here we provide narrative review of recent literature on the gut-brain connection and migraine to emphasize the importance of tailoring treatment plans for patients with episodic migraine who experience GI comorbidities and symptoms. ⋯ Recent population-based studies report the prevalence of migraine and GI disorders as comorbidities as well as overlapping symptomology. American Headache Society (AHS) guidelines have integrated GI symptoms as part of migraine diagnostic criteria and recommend nonoral therapies for patients with GI symptoms or conditions. Nasal delivery is a recommended nonoral alternative; however, it is important to understand potential adverse events that may cause or worsen GI symptoms in some patients due to the site of drug deposition within the nasal cavity with some nasal therapies. Lastly, clinical perspectives emphasize the importance of identifying GI symptoms and comorbidities in patients with episodic migraine to best individualize migraine management. Support for an association between the gut-brain axis and migraine continues to prevail in recent literature; however, the relationship remains complex and not well elucidated. The presence of GI comorbidities and symptoms must be carefully considered when making treatment decisions for patients with episodic migraine.