Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology
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Among cephalgias, cluster headache (CH) is the rarest and the most disabling, explaining the appellation of "suicide headache." Up to 20% of chronic CH reveals to be resistant to pharmacological treatments, in which case interventional procedures should be considered. Many reports evaluated invasive approaches and a wide strand of research is dedicated to the sphenopalatine ganglion. Our paper will now be focused on providing an overview on modern applications on the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG), their outcomes, and their feasibility in terms of risks and benefits. ⋯ First results seem promising and considering the low frequency of side effects or complications, we should think of expanding the indications of the procedures also to those conditions. Outcomes certainly suggest that further studies are necessary in order to understand which method is the most effective and with less side effects. Placebo-controlled studies would be pivotal, and tight collaboration between neurologists and otorhinolaryngologists should also be central in order to give correct indications, which allow us to expect procedures on the SPG to be an effective and mostly safe method to control either refractory ECH or CCH.
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In this study, quality of life and psychiatric comorbid disorders were investigated in patients with cervical dystonia and their spouses and we also investigated the effect of botulinum toxin (BTX) treatment on these parameters. ⋯ In our study, an increase in psychiatric comorbid disorders such as depression and anxiety was observed and the quality of life was adversely affected in all areas in patients. In the spouses of the patients, the rates of psychiatric comorbid disorders such as depression and anxiety were found to be increased when compared to healthy subjects while vitality, mental health, and general health perception were found to be negatively affected. Patients showed improvements in anxiety level, disease activity, and overall quality of life scales after BTX treatment.
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In this study, we analyzed the inhibitory control on the trigemino-cervical reflex (TCR), and whether or not prepulse modulation (PPM) has an effect on TCR. Thus, we studied the PPM of TCR. We hypothesized that TCR would presumably be under the modulatory effect after the prepulse stimulus similar to blink reflex (BR). We also studied the recovery of TCR which was previously shown. ⋯ We have provided an evidence for the TCR-PPM in healthy subjects for the first time in this study. The prepulse inhibition is attributed to the functions of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus. Our study provides a strong indication that there are connections between pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus and trigemino-cervical circuit, which produces TCR.
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Historical Article
First-time complete visualization of a preserved meningeal artery in the mummy of Nakht-ta-Netjeret (ca. 950 BC).
The preservation of the meningeal artery in ancient mummified bodies, particularly in anthropogenic Egyptian mummies, is a highly controversial topic in neuroscience and anthropological research. A recent (2015) debate between Wade and Isidro, based on the interpretation of the meningeal grooves and cast in a skull from the necropolis of Kom al-Ahmar Sharuna (Egypt), highlighted both the necessity of having clear radiological descriptions of this anatomical structure and of assessing large collections of mummified crania. Here, we present for the first time an instance of extremely well-preserved middle meningeal artery in the mummy of the ancient Egyptian dignitary Nakht-ta-Netjeret (ca. 950 BC), still inside the meninx, using paleo-radiological techniques. We finally link this find with experimental data from the neurological literature on the methodology of excerebration implemented by ancient Egyptian embalmers.