title: Cognitive processing of cluster headache patients: evidence from event-related potentials.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The peripheral and central origins of pain in cluster headache (CH) have been a matter of much debate. The development and application of functional imaging techniques have provided more evidence supporting the hypothesis that CH is not a disorder exclusively peripheral in origin, and in fact central regions might be more important. Event-related potentials confer advantages in the functional evaluation of the cortex, but few studies thus far have employed this method in cluster headache.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen cluster patients (15 males; mean age = 35.4 years) and 15 age-matched healthy participants (13 males; mean age = 34.6 years) were recruited. A visual oddball paradigm was employed to analyze target processing using event-related potentials. We investigated the P3/P3d components in the experiment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  P3/P3d amplitudes were decreased in CH patients (P3, 3.82 μV; P3d, 5.8 μV) compared with controls (P3, 7.28 μV; P3d, 8.95 μV), F(1,30) = 4.919, p < 0.05, η2 = 0.141 for P3 and F(1,30) = 8.514, p < 0.05, η2 = 0.221 for P3d, respectively). Moreover, the amplitudes of P3/P3d were no significantl difference in the side of pain as compared to contralateral one (p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results provide evidence of dysfunction in the cognitive processing of CH patients, which may also contribute to the pathophysiology of CH.
authors.forename: Rongfei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ruozhuo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Mingjie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Fuxing Road 28, Haidian District, Beijing 100853, China. wu@mech.okayama-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Jinglong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shengyuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003027:Cluster Headache / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300 / Q000502:physiology; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male