title: Oculosympathetic alterations in migraine patients.
abstract: Oculosympathetic function was studied in 20 headache-free migraine patients and in 20 controls. Pupillary investigation was performed under basal conditions, and after instillation of tyramine (2%) and phenylephrine (1%) eyedrops. Each test was performed twice shortly after a spontaneous attack and then repeated after 7 and 15 days. In the patients, the normal mydriatic response induced by tyramine was significantly (p<0.001) reduced and phenylephrine instillation caused a significant (p<0.01) pupillary dilatation in both the assessments performed shortly after the attack. These abnormal responses were bilateral in all patients and slightly anisocoric in some. They were significantly (p<0.001) more pronounced in the patients who had pain and pronounced vascular features. The reduced oculosympathetic response to tyramine, as well as the hypersensitivity to phenylephrine, was less evident 7 days after the attack and absent after 15 days. A transient and bilateral post-ganglionic oculosympathetic hypofunction, with adrenoceptor hypersensitivity, was found to be temporally related to the migraine attack, regardless of the side or predominant side of pain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Sciences, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Marinis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Assenza
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carletto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010656:Phenylephrine; D011680:Pupil / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014439:Tyramine
chemical_list: D010656:Phenylephrine; D014439:Tyramine