Central pain processing in chronic tension-type headache

• Published in: Clinical neurophysiology 2009-07, Vol.120 (7), p.1364-1370
• Main Authors: Lindelof, Kim, Ellrich, Jens, Jensen, Rigmor, Bendtsen, Lars
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Blinking - physiology; Brain Stem - physiopathology; Brainstem; Case-Control Studies; Electric Stimulation; Electrodiagnosis. Electric activity recording; Electrophysiology; Endpoint Determination; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Headache Disorders - physiopathology; Human; Humans; Hypertonic saline solution; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Male; Medical sciences; Neck Muscles - drug effects; Neck Pain - physiopathology; Nervous system; Neurology; Nociceptors - physiology; Pain; Pain Threshold - physiology; Pilot Projects; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Reflex; Saline Solution, Hypertonic - pharmacology; Tension-Type Headache - physiopathology
• ISSN: 1388-2457; 1872-8952
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2009.04.013

Abstract Objective Chronic tension-type headache (CTTH) affects 3% of the population. Directly and indirectly it causes high costs and considerable loss of quality of life. The mechanisms of this disorder are poorly understood and the treatment possibilities are therefore limited. The blink reflex (BR) reflects neuronal excitability due to nociceptive input in the brainstem. The aim of this study was to investigate nociceptive processing at the level of the brainstem in an experimental pain model of CTTH symptoms. Methods The effect of conditioning pain, 5 min infusion of hypertonic saline into the neck muscles, was investigated in 20 patients with CTTH and 20 healthy controls. In addition, a pilot study with isotonic saline was performed with 5 subjects in each group. The BR was elicited by electrical stimuli with an intensity of four times the pain threshold, with a superficial concentric electrode. We measured the BR, sensibility to pressure and electrical pain scores before, during and 25 min after the saline infusion. Results The pain rating of the electrical stimuli and the pain score of the hypertonic saline infusion were significantly higher in CTTH patients than in healthy volunteers. The primary endpoint was the relative change of the blink reflex integral immediately after hypertonic saline infusion. It was significantly smaller in CTTH patients on the contralateral side (−24.5% ±7.0 (sem)) compared to healthy volunteers (0.4% ±6.8), ( p < 0.05, Holm–Sidak), while there was no significant difference on the ipsilateral side (−5.9% ±3.2 vs. −3.4% ±3.0, n.s., Holm–Sidak). Conclusion There was no robust difference in BR integral after conditioning tonic neck pain between CTTH patients and healthy volunteers, but CTTH patients were more sensitive to nociceptive stimuli. Significance A combined homotopic and heterotopic effect of the conditioning pain onto the blink reflex could account for this finding.