title: Sympathetic skin responses from frontal region in migraine headache: a pilot study.
abstract: Frontal sympathetic skin responses (F-SSRs) were recorded to investigate sympathetic nervous system activity in migraine headache (MH). Thirty-five patients with unilateral MH and 10 healthy volunteers were studied by evoking bilateral F-SSRs with electrical stimulation of the median nerve in attack, post-attack and interictal periods. The mean latencies were longer and the maximum amplitudes were smaller on the symptomatic side compared with the asymptomatic side (P < 0.05 for both amplitude and latency) in attack and in interictal periods. In five patients, F-SSRs were absent bilaterally, in four patients the responses were absent only on the symptomatic side during the attack period. In the post-attack period, F-SSRs on the symptomatic side had higher amplitudes and shorter latencies compared with the asymptomatic side (P < 0.01 for both amplitude and latency). There is an asymmetric sympathetic hypofunction on the symptomatic side in attack and interictal periods, whereas there is a hyperfunction in the post-attack period.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Izzet Baysal Medical Faculty, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Turkey. serpilkuyucu@hotmail.com
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Yildiz
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yildiz
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Korkmaz
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Altunrende
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Gezici
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alkoy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004576:Electromyography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005546:Forehead / Q000294:innervation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*