Search results for " aura"

1 Hz rTMS enhances extrastriate cortex activity in migraine

2003

We recently reported a paradoxical facilitatory effect of 1 Hz repetitive TMS (rTMS) on the primary visual cortex in migraine possibly due to the failure of inhibitory circuits, unable to be upregulated by low frequency rTMS. To investigate if inhibitory circuit dysfunction extends beyond striate cortex in migraine with aura, we studied the effects of 1 Hz rTMS over the right extrastriate cortex on perception of illusory contours in these patients. Low-frequency rTMS enhanced activity of extrastriate cortex in migraineurs, speeding up reaction times on illusory contour perception. This finding supports the view of a failure of inhibitory circuits also involving the extrastriate cortex in mi…

The IHS classification criteria for migraine headaches in adolescents need minor modifications

1996

The operational and diagnostic criteria for migraine and all other headache disorders released in 1988 by the International Headache Society are universally considered reliable and exhaustive. These criteria, however, cannot be considered as satisfactory for population-based studies on migraine prevalence, especially if adolescents are the subjects of the study. Using these diagnostic criteria, we conducted an epidemiological study in order to assess the prevalence of migraine headache in a student population aged 11 to 14 years. Our survey made it possible to code IHS 1.1 (migraine without aura) in 2.35%, IHS 1.2 (migraine with aura) in 0.62%, IHS 1.7 (migrainous disorders not fulfilling m…

A case of atypical sporadic hemiplegic migraine associated with PFO and hypoplasia of vertebro-basilar system.

2009

We describe the case of a patient with atypical hemiplegic migraine and associated basilar symptoms, where a large patent foramen ovale (PFO) and hypoplasia of basilar artery were found. The longer period of 4-year remission of the headache attacks was coincident with the percutaneous PFO closure. When 5 years after, hemiplegic migraine attacks relapsed, with more relevant basilar symptoms, a mild re-opening of PFO was found. The atypical presentation of attacks with basilar symptoms and prolonged hemiplegia does not strictly fit the diagnostic criteria of ICHD-II.

Detection of possible factors favouring the evolution of migraine without aura into chronic migraine

2012

In a minority of cases, the natural history of migraine without aura (MO) is characterised over time by its evolution into a form of chronic migraine (CM). In order to detect the possible factors predicting this negative evolution of MO, we searched in our Headache Centre files for all clinical records that met the following criteria: (a) first visit between 1976 and 1998; (b) diagnosis of MO or of common migraine at the first observation, with or without association with other primary headache types; (c) <15 days per month of migraine at the first observation; and (d) at least one follow-up visit at least 10 years after the first visit. The patients thus identified were then divided into t…

The percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO): Impact on the quality of life

2012

An Integrative Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program for Adults With Migraine: A Feasibility Study

2019

Objective To present a novel cognitive behavioral therapy program that was developed exclusively for adults with migraine, and to assess the feasibility of this program. Background Unlike previous efforts, we combined different approaches of behavioral therapy into one program: relaxation therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, trigger management. Methods The treatment program consists of 7 sessions (including psychoeducation, lifestyle counseling, coping with fear of attacks, trigger management, and stress management). The research was conducted in a single-group study with N = 9 completers (age: M = 41.6, SD = 17.6 years; N = 8 female, N = 1 male; N = 5 migraine without aura, N = 2 migrain…

The PFO anatomy evaluation as possible tool to stratify the associated risks and the benefits arising from the closure

2010

Aims According to the current guidelines, the patent foramen ovale (PFO) is still considered a qualitative factor and, as a consequence, its closure is recommended just on the basis of its ‘presence’. Methods and results In the year 2008, we evaluated 25 patients (mean age 62.7) with acute cerebrovascular event and 92 patients (mean age 27.3) suffering from migraine with aura. No PFO was reported in 79 patients. A venous-to-arterial circulation shunt had been shown in 38 patients (29 subjects with migraine and 9 subjects with prior stroke). According to the number of microbubbles arrived during the Valsava manoeuvre, we found: 25 small PFO, 6 moderate PFO, and 6 severe PFO. In the baseline …

High-Frequency Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Motor Cortex of Patients Affected by Migraine With Aura: A Way to Restore Normal Cortical Excitab…

2009

We showed reduced motor intracortical inhibition (ICI) and paradoxical increase of intracortical facilitation (ICF) to 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in patients affected by migraine with aura (MA). In conditions of enhanced excitability due to a reduced inhibition, high-frequency rTMS was found to potentiate intracortical inhibition. Here we explored the conditioning effects of high-frequency priming stimulation of motor cortex with the aim of normalizing excitability reverting paradoxical facilitation by 1 Hz rTMS in MA. Nine patients with MA and nine healthy controls underwent a paired-pulse TMS paradigm to evaluate motor intracortical excitability (ICI and ICF…

Dall’iperestetica all’anestetica: la negazione dell’umano nella società dell’apparenza

2021

Viviamo nella “società dell’immagine” che ottunde la sensibilità e produce indifferenza. Il saggio mette a fuoco la ricerca ossessiva di una bellezza superficiale e apparente in ogni ambito della vita quotidiana e la conseguente perdita dei valori morali. Per contrastare questa anestetizzazione dovuta all’esasperata tendenza all’eccesso e al superamento dei limiti del giusto, del necessario, del conveniente e del bello, il saggio propone di recuperare l’antica dimensione etico-estetica del bello in linea con alcuni interessi dell’Everyday Aesthetics. We live in the "society of the image" that obtunds sensitivity and produces indifference. The essay focuses on the obsessive search for a shal…

Modulation of visual cortex excitability in migraine with aura: effects of valproate therapy.

2009

We explored the effects of valproate treatment on visual cortex excitability changes in migraine with aura patients. Abnormal cortical excitability has been suggested to play an important role in the etiopathogenesis of migraine; in particular, it has been suggested a failure of inhibitory circuits in migraine with aura. Valproate acts as a central GABA agonist and it is reasonable suppose that VPA could modify cortical excitability state. Phosphene threshold (PT) was assessed at baseline and after 1 Hz rTMS before and after one month therapy. We found that low-frequency rTMS in drug-free migraineurs decreased PT, while the treatment with the GABA agonist valproate is able to revert the eff…