HYPERBARIC-OXYGEN IN CHRONIC CLUSTER HEADACHES - INFLUENCE ON SEROTONERGIC PATHWAYS

A controlled study was done with the aim of assessing the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) in cluster headache and of studying the possi ble influence of this therapeutic approach on serotonergic pathways. F ourteen patients, aged between 25 and 56 yr, suffering from the chroni c form of cluster headache were treated with HBO2 (n = 10) or environm ental air (placebo) (n = 4) during the 15 sessions of exposure (lastin g 30 min each) in the hyperbaric chamber. The influence of this proced ure on serotonergic pathways of pain was monitored by means of study o f serotonin binding to mononuclear cells before end after the treatmen t for both subgroups. Pill of the treated 14 chronic cluster headache patients completed the study. In the subgroup treated with the placebo , no particular modifications on the number of attacks and of analgesi c consumption as well as no change in the specific binding curve of se rotonin to mononuclear cells were observed, whereas in the subgroup tr eated with HBO, the clinical effectiveness and the appearance of plate au in the binding curves indicated that the oxygen therapy could act t hrough serotonergic pathways.