Headache
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To evaluate the efficacy of an intensive outpatient program designed to improve functioning and reduce psychological impairment in chronic headache patients. ⋯ The study supports the efficacy of the treatment model. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are also discussed.
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Dural enhancement is a characteristic finding in both spontaneous intracranial hypotension and hypertrophic pachymeningitis. Positional headache is the most important feature that distinguishes the two diseases. We report a patient with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly Wegener's granulomatosis) who initially manifested like spontaneous intracranial hypotension. ⋯ Hypertrophic pachymeningitis associated with granulomatosis with polyangiitis can present with positional headache and subdural hygroma, mimicking spontaneous intracranial hypotension. Granulomatosis with polyangiitis should be suspected when patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension or hypertrophic pachymeningitis show atypical features.
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Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a neurophysiological technique with a long established pedigree of safety, tolerability, and efficacy. Initially TMS was used to study the function of the cerebral cortex, but it has now become a treatment for migraine, one of the most common and debilitating neurological conditions. In this review we discuss the scientific background and development of the technique. We explore its application for the treatment of migraine and ponder the possible mechanisms of action in this most common neurological condition. ⋯ Migraine is a debilitating condition characterized by headache, nausea, and sensory hypersensitivity. It may affect up to 15% of the population, yet current drug treatments are often poorly tolerated. Clinical studies have shown that TMS is an effective treatment for migraine. In addition, it has the added advantages of being safe and well tolerated by patients.
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Previous studies suggest that migraine might be associated with female sexual dysfunction (FSD), although this association may be complicated by overweight/obesity. To disentangle relationships of migraine and obesity with FSD, we examined: (1) FSD rates in women who had migraine and obesity with a matched sample of women with obesity who were free of migraine and (2) associations between indices of migraine severity and FSD in a larger sample of participants with migraine and overweight/obesity, controlling for important confounders. ⋯ Rates of sexual dysfunction did not differ in severely obese women with and without migraine. Moreover, indices of migraine severity were not associated with increased risk of FSD in women with overweight/obesity. Replication of present findings in wider populations of women with migraine and of both normal-weight and overweight/obese status are warranted.
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To identify possible gray matter alterations in patients with chronic migraine using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). ⋯ CM is associated with structural changes in brain regions involved in pain processing but also in affective and cognitive aspects of pain. Some GM alterations are correlated with headache frequency assessed in EM and CM. The findings support the assumption that chronic pain alters brain plasticity. GMV increase may reflect a remodeling of the central nervous system due to repetitive headache attacks leading to chronic sensitization and a continuous ictal-like state of the brain in chronic migraineurs.