Abstract
Cluster headache (CH) is a hemicraniofacial painful syndrome characterized by ip-silateral miosis and various vasomotor phenomena such as vasodilatation, salivation, nasal secretion, lacrimation and conjunctival congestion. A subpopulation of primary afferent neurons, projecting to the substantia gelatinosa in the spinal cord and to the corresponding area in the nucleus caudalis of the trigeminal nerve was shown to contain somatostatin (SRIF) and substance P (SP). The role of SRIF remains unclear, while that of SP is in the mediation of the antidromic vasodilatation. SP also appears to be the transmitter of pain signals [9]. Opiates and SRIF were capable of blocking the release of SP from both peripheral [2, 11] and central [13] nerve endings. SP induces miosis, edema of the nasal mucosa, vasodilatation. This striking similarity between SP function, trigeminal “topography,” and CH symptoms leads us to try SRIF as a symptomatic therapeutic agent in CH attack.
The investigation was supported by the Italian Research Council (CNR-Rome), finalized project, Preventive and Rehabilitative Medicine (subproject no. 8).
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Geppetti, P., Brocchi, A., Caleri, D., Marabini, S., Rainò, L., Renzi, D. (1985). Somatostatin for Cluster Headache Attack. In: Pfaffenrath, V., Lundberg, PO., Sjaastad, O. (eds) Updating in Headache. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-88581-5_49
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-88581-5_49
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