Stress and chronic headache: A psychophysiological analysis of mechanisms

摘要: This study investigated the effects of three types laboratory stressors (stressful imagery, mental arithmetic, pain) on temporal artery, skeletal muscle, general autonomic [digital blood volume pulse (DBVP), spontaneous resistance responses (SRR's)] and self-report measures distress in chronic migraine, mixed, muscle contraction non-headache controls. All subjects were female, free medication at time testing equated for age. Headache reported a 19 year history headache. Results revealed pattern digital BVP (constriction), SSR's (increase) frontal EMG indicative autonomic-skeletal arousal response to all groups, while artery pain stimulus was vasodilation. Distress ratings elevated during stress periods four group. Pain threshold tolerance tendency utilize cognitive coping strategies exposure did not differ across groups. The results do support dysfunction theory migraine or specificity hypothesis implicating an overreactive headache, respectively. Despite epidemiological research supporting stress-headache relationship, present indicate that psychophysiological mechanism underlying this relationship does appear involve abnormal tonic levels phasic stress. It is argued dilation questions role triggering two stage vasoconstriction-dilation suggests need evaluate model as potential relationship.