Pain modulation in primary headache syndromes

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Till Sprenger
• Subject Area: Clinical Neurology; Neurosurgery and Neuroradiology
• Term: from 2008 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 71554441

Aim and Hypotheses: Dysfunctional pain modulation has been suggested as a key factor inprimary headache pathophysiology with reduced inhibition or facilitation of sensory afferentactivity. A “default mode” of brain function has been described which relates to activity in theresting brain. This circuit considerably overlaps with the structures implicated in painmodulation. Hence, headache patients might have a dysfunctional “default mode” reflectedby altered pain modulation.To explore this hypothesis I will use functional imaging in patients with migraine or clusterheadache, and compare them with healthy subjects. Patients will be studied between attacksto determine if there is a trait change in the patients’ brain.Methods: There will be 3 experimental conditions: 1) resting state fMRI 2a) fMRI withexperimental pain stimulation 2b) fMRI with pain stimulation during distraction. Thedistraction is expected to reduce pain ratings. Effects of pain and distraction on brain activitywill be analyzed and comparisons will be performed between the experimental groups.Functional connectivity between putative pain modulating brain structures (frontal cortex andbrainstem nuclei) will be investigated for the resting state and the two other sessions.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professor Dr. Peter J. Goadsby