title: Chronic ergotamine abuse: evidence of functional impairment of long ascending spinal tracts.
abstract: 22 migraine patients with a history of chronic ergotamine abuse were compared with 12 patients with a similar intake of dihydroergotamine. The study of somatosensory-evoked potentials showed that 50% of the patients with a history of ergotamine abuse had increased central conduction times after stimulation of the tibial nerve. Corticomotoneuronal latencies obtained by noninvasive electrical stimulation of the motor cortex were normal in 5 patients. The functional sensory deficits were not related to clinical impairment and were more frequently observed in patients with a comparatively high mean daily and cumulative intake.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Münster, FRG.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Ludolph
authors.forename: I W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Husstedt
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Schlake
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Grotemeyer
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Brune
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004878:Ergotamine; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D004878:Ergotamine