The Psychophysiological Assessment of Muscle‐Contraction Headache Subjects During Headache and Nonheadache Conditions

This study evaluated multiple psychophysiological variables in muscle‐contraction headache subjects during headache and nonheadache states. Nine muscle‐contraction headache subjects participated in four sessions: twice when they had a headache and twice when they had no headache. During each session multiple psychophysiological measures (frontal electromyogram (EMG), neck EMG, arm EMG, cephalic blood volume pulse (BVP), and heart rate) were monitored during baseline, a cognitive stressor, a physical stressor, and post‐stress adaptation phases. Baseline psychophysiological measures did not discriminate between headache conditions but there were significant differences between conditions on measures of neck and forearm EMG. Analyses of individual subjects revealed that headache states, compared to nonheadache states, were associated with significantly greater neck EMG levels and significantly greater cephalic vasodilation for most subjects. The implications of these studies for the etiology and treatment of muscle‐contraction headache are discussed.