Engelsk titel: Migraine - mechanisms and consequences for treatment
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Författare:
Alstadhaug KB
;
Salvesen R
Email: karl.bjornar.alstadhaug@nordlandssykehuset.no
Språk: Nor
Antal referenser: 53
Dokumenttyp:
Artikel
UI-nummer: 07121956
Sammanfattning
BACKGROUND : Migraine is a common headache syndrome. The understanding of processes in the brain during a migraine attack has increased significantly during recent years.
MATERIAL AND METHODS : The article is based on literature retrieved from PubMed, and on own knowledge of older and more recent migraine literature.
RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION : Patients with migraine probably have increased cortical excitability. Attacks may be initiated by the neurophysiological phenomenon "cortical spreading depression". This may again lead to meningeal inflammation and irritation of pain-sensitive fibres in the trigeminal nerve. There is compelling evidence that an episodic dysfunction of the brain stem plays an important role, either as a primary generator of or a secondary contributor to, migraine attacks. Patients often report allodynia as an expression for central sensitization. Activity in pain-modulating mechanisms is disturbed, and serotonin agonists efficiently stop attacks. The tendency to have repetitive migraine attacks is probably due to a genetic predisposition.