Serotonin mediated cluster headache, trigeminal neuralgia, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, and superior laryngeal neuralgia with SAD chronicity

Cluster headache is a rare and severe pain syndrome with elusive pathophysi ology. Serotonin. pathways within the brainstem may be implicated in cluste r headache with seasonal affective disorder and a subset of cranial nerve n euralgias. We describe and chronicle a syndrome consisting of cluster heada che, seasonal affective disorder, with associated trigeminal, glossopharyng eal, superior laryngeal neuralgias in an 11-year-old female. Pharmacologic interventions for this patient were examined in conjunction with current cl assification, location and function of serotonin receptors. Etiology is pos tulated as mixed cranial nerve excitation via endogenous 5-HT (agonist) act ivity of 5-HT3 receptors within the nucleus tractus solitarius and trigemin al tract nucleus.