0000000000008877
AUTHOR
Christoph Best
Zolmitriptan inhibits neurogenic inflammation and pain during electrical stimulation in human skin.
Background Triptans are agonists to 5-HT 1B/D/F receptors, which are present on nociceptive neurons not only within but also beyond the trigeminal system. The aim of this study was to investigate whether zolmitriptan interacts with peptidergic nociceptive afferents in human skin. Methods Twenty participants (13 women, median age: 25; interquartile range: 23–26 years) entered the randomized, double-blind, cross-over study. Electrically induced neurogenic flare and pain was assessed after either placebo or zolmitriptan on the ventral thigh. Mechanical pain thresholds were investigated at baseline and after electrical stimulation at the stimulation site. Results The size of the neurogenic flar…
The impact of baroreflex function on endogenous pain control: a microneurography study.
The interaction between sympathetic vasoconstrictor activity to muscles [muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), burst frequency (BF) and burst incidence (BI)] and different stress and somatosensory stimuli is still unclear. Eighteen healthy men (median age 28 years) underwent microneurography recordings from the peroneal nerve. MSNA was recorded during heat pain (HP) and cold pain (CP) alone as well as combined with different stress tasks (mental arithmetic, singing, giving a speech). An additional nine healthy men (median age 26 years) underwent the stimulation protocol with an additional control task (thermal pain combined with listening to music) to evaluate possible attentional confo…
Increased muscle sympathetic nerve activity and impaired baroreflex control in isolated REM-sleep behavior disorder.
Changes in baroreflex sensitivity have been reported in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). We sought to investigate the hypothesis that patients with isolated rapid eye movement (REM)-sleep behavior disorder (iRBD), known to be a prodromal stage for PD, will show abnormalities in baroreflex control.Ten iRBD patients were compared to 10 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. Their cardiovascular parameters and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) were evaluated at rest and during baroreflex stimulation.MSNA at rest was higher in iRBD patients (burst frequency [BF]: 44 ± 3 bursts/min; burst incidence [BI]: 60 ± 8 bursts/100 heartbeats) as compared to the controls (BF: 29 ±…
MRI and neurophysiology in vestibular paroxysmia: contradiction and correlation
Background Vestibular paroxysmia (VP) is defined as neurovascular compression (NVC) syndrome of the eighth cranial nerve (N.VIII). The aim was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of MRI and the significance of audiovestibular testing in the diagnosis of VP. Methods 20 VP patients and, for control, 20 subjects with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) were included and underwent MRI (constructive interference in steady-state, time-of-flight MR angiography) for detection of a NVC between N.VIII and vessels. All VP patients received detailed audiovestibular testing. Results A NVC of N.VIII could be detected in all VP patients rendering a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 65% for the diagnosi…