Tbe development of cutaneous allodynia during a migraine attack - Clinicalevidence for the sequential recruitment of spinal and supraspinal nociceptive neurons in migraine
R. Burstein et al., Tbe development of cutaneous allodynia during a migraine attack - Clinicalevidence for the sequential recruitment of spinal and supraspinal nociceptive neurons in migraine, BRAIN, 123, 2000, pp. 1703-1709
Recently, we showed that most migraine patients exhibit cutaneous allodynia
inside and outside their pain-referred areas when examined during a fully
developed migraine attack. In this report, we studied the way in which cuta
neous allodynia develops by measuring the pain thresholds in the head and f
orearms bilaterally at several time points during a migraine attack in a 42
-year-old male. Prior to the headache, he experienced visual, sensory, moto
r and speech aura. During the headache, he experienced photo-, phono- and o
dour-phobia, nausea and vomiting, worsening of the headache by coughing or
moving his head, and cutaneous pain when shaving, combing his hair or touch
ing his scalp. Comparisons between his pain thresholds in the absence of mi
graine and at 1, 2 and 4 h after the onset of migraine revealed the followi
ng. (i) After 1 h, mechanical and cold allodynia started to develop in the
ipsilateral head but not in any other site. (ii) After 2 h, this allodynia
increased on the ipsilateral head and spread to the contralateral head and
ipsilateral forearm, (iii) After 4 h, heat allodynia was also detected whil
e mechanical and cold allodynia continued to increase. These clinical obser
vations suggest the following sequence of events along the trigeminovascula
r pain pathway of this patient. (i) A few minutes after the initial activat
ion of his peripheral nociceptors, they became sensitized; this sensitizati
on can mediate the symptoms of intracranial hypersensitivity. (ii) The barr
age of impulses that came from the peripheral nociceptors activated second-
order neurons and initiated their sensitization; this sensitization can med
iate the development of cutaneous allodynia on the ipsilateral head. (iii)
The barrage of impulses that came from the sensitized second-order neurons
activated and eventually sensitized third-order neurons; this sensitization
can mediate the development of cutaneous allodynia on the contralateral he
ad and ipsilateral forearm at the 2-h point, over 1 h after the appearance
of allodynia on the ipsilateral head. This interpretation calls for an earl
y use of anti-migraine drugs that target peripheral nociceptors, before the
development of central sensitization. If central sensitization develops, t
he therapeutic rationale is to suppress it. Because currently available dru
gs that aim to suppress central sensitization are ineffective, this study s
tresses the need to develop them for the treatment of migraine.