Electrical stimulation of the middle meningeal artery excited 78 trigeminal brain-stem subnucleus caudalis neurons, providing evidence for their role in mediating vascular head pain.
Does electrical stimulation of the middle meningeal artery activate trigeminal brain-stem subnucleus caudalis neurons?
This study provides the first evidence of brain-stem neurons in the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis that respond to dural artery stimulation, supporting their role in mediating vascular head pain.
Vascular head pain is thought to result from activation of trigeminal sensory nerve fibers innervating cranial blood vessels. Support for this hypothesis was sought by searching in the trigeminal brain-stem subnucleus caudalis (SNC) for neuronal responses evoked by electrical stimulation of the middle meningeal artery (MMA). Seventy-eight SNC neurons were found which could be excited by MMA stimulation of the facial skin. These results provide the first report of the existence and functional properties of brain-stem neurons likely to be involved in mediating vascular head pain.
Davis et al. (Sun,) conducted a other in Vascular head pain. Electrical stimulation of the middle meningeal artery (MMA) was evaluated on Neuronal responses in the trigeminal brain-stem subnucleus caudalis (SNC). Electrical stimulation of the middle meningeal artery excited 78 trigeminal brain-stem subnucleus caudalis neurons, providing evidence for their role in mediating vascular head pain.