Ga. Lambert et J. Michalicek, CORTICAL SPREADING DEPRESSION REDUCES DURAL BLOOD-FLOW - A POSSIBLE MECHANISM FOR MIGRAINE PAIN, Cephalalgia, 14(6), 1994, pp. 430-436
These experiments were designed to investigate a possible mechanism li
nking the phenomenon of cortical spreading depression with activation
of the trigeminal sensory system in migraine. Blood flow in the cortex
and middle meningeal artery was measured in cats before and during pr
opagation of a wave of cortical spreading depression, initiated by cor
tical pin-prick. This caused a transient propagated increase in cortic
al blood flow. Cortical spreading depression was accompanied by a decr
ease in blood flow in the middle meningeal artery, sometimes to very l
ow levels. The results suggest that the pain of migraine could arise f
rom dural ischemia induced by cortical spreading depression.