Background: Migraine is characterized by sensory hypersensitivity and habituation deficits. Slow brushing over the skin activates C-tactile nerve fibers, which mediate pleasant touch and analgesic effects in healthy subjects. As this function is altered in painful conditions, we aimed to examine whether the C-tactile processing is disrupted in migraines. Methods: To psychophysically assess C-tactile function, we applied optimal and suboptimal C-tactile stroking stimuli on the dorsal forearm (body reference area) and the trigeminally innervated skin of 52 interictal migraineurs and 52 matched healthy controls. For habituation testing, 60 repeated C-tactile optimal stimuli were presented in both test areas. The participants rated each stimulus on a visual analogue scale by intensity, pleasantness, and painfulness. Results: Regarding C-tactile function, migraineurs showed unphysiological rating patterns but no significantly different pleasantness ratings than controls. During repeated stimulation, controls showed stable pleasantness ratings while migraineurs’ ratings decreased, especially in those experiencing tactile allodynia during headaches. Migraineurs taking triptans responded like controls. Conclusion: The C-tactile function of migraineurs is subclinically altered. Repeated C-tactile stimulation leads to altered habituation but differs from previous work by the direction of the changes. Although the pathophysiology remains unknown, causative mechanisms could include central and peripheral neuronal sensitization, tactile allodynia and hedonic stimulus attributions.

Migräne ist die häufigste neurologische Erkrankung und kann mit einem hohen Grad der Beeinträchtigung einhergehen. Neben nichtmedikamentösen Ansätzen zur Reduktion der Migränefrequenz stehen medikamentöse Migräneprophylaxen zur Verfügung. Zur Indikation und Anwendung liegen evidenzbasierte Leitlinien der Deutschen Migräne- und Kopfschmerzgesellschaft (DMKG) und Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurologie (DGN), Österreichischen Kopfschmerzgesellschaft (ÖKSG) sowie Schweizer Kopfwehgesellschaft (SKG) vor. Für therapierelevante Fragen wie z. B. der notwendigen und sinnvollen Dauer einer medikamentösen Migräneprophylaxe können aus bisherigen Studiendaten keine Rückschlüsse gezogen werden. Ziel dieser Übersicht ist die Formulierung von Empfehlungen zur Therapiedauer bei wirksamer medikamentöser Migräneprophylaxe, die die aktuelle Datenlage und – bei fehlenden Daten – die Expertenmeinungen berücksichtigen. / Migraine is the most common neurological disorder and can be associated with a high degree of disability. In addition to non-pharmacological approaches to reduce migraine frequency, pharmacological migraine preventatives are available. Evidencebased guidelines from the German Migraine and Headache Society (DMKG), and German Society for Neurology (DGN), Austrian Headache Society (ÖKSG), and Swiss Headache Society (SKG) are available for indication and application. For therapyrelevant questions such as the duration of a pharmacological migraine prevention, no conclusions can be drawn from currently available study data. The aim of this review is to present a therapy consensus statement that integrates the current data situation and, where data are lacking, expert opinions. The resulting current recommendations on the duration of therapy for pharmacological migraine prophylaxis are shown here.

Background: Sensitization to sensory stimuli is an essential feature of migraine attacks. The relationship between the clinical course of migraine and increased sensitivity to olfactory stimuli has been little studied so far. - Methods: We analyzed the frequency and quality of osmophobia depending on the phase of migraine in patients with episodic and chronic migraine treated in an tertiary headache center with regard to gender, age, medical history and migraine disability assessment score (MIDAS). Standardized diagnostic questions were used for the assessment of osmophobia. - Results: In our cross-sectional investigation (n = 113), 38.1% of the patients showed an increased preictal hypersensitivity to odors, whereas 61.9% described ictal and 31.9% interictal hypersensitivity to odors, odor-triggered migraine was described in 30.1%. Median migraine disease duration has been statistically significantly longer in patients who suffered from interictal hypersensitivity to odors (28.5 years vs. 20 years; p = 0.012). There was a significant correlation between interictal hypersensitivity and higher age (54.50 vs. 45; p = 0.015). Patients with higher migraine disability in MIDAS experienced more frequently preictal and interictal olfactory sensitization and odor triggered migraine attacks. - Conclusions: In patients with longer migraine disease duration and higher migraine-related impairment, osmophobia was more frequently observed. These results might support the hypothesis of increasing sensitization with increasing burden of migraine.

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