Painful Stimulation of the Forehead Increases Photophobia in Migraine Sufferers

Abstract

Thresholds for visual and auditory discomfort were investigated in 51 migraine sufferers and 27 controls of similar age and sex distribution who rarely suffered from headache. Tests in migraine sufferers were carried out during the headache-free interval. Discomfort thresholds were measured before and during painful stimulation of the forehead with ice. The visual discomfort threshold was lower in migraine sufferers than in controls, and decreased further during painful stimulation of the forehead. In contrast, the auditory discomfort threshold was similar in migraine sufferers and controls, and did not decrease during painful stimulation of the forehead. These findings suggest that trigeminal discharge contributes to photophobia but not phonophobia in migraine sufferers.

Keywords

Migraine pain photophobia trigeminal nerve

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Drummond

A quantitative assessment of photophobia in migraine and tension headache.

Headache 1986;26:465–9

Lebensohn

The nature of photophobia.

Arch Ophthalmol 1934;12:380–90

Wolff

Headache and other head pain,2nd ed. New York:Oxford University Press 1963:561–81

Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society. Classification and diagnostic criteria for headache disorders, cranial neuralgias and facial pain.Cephalalgia 1988(suppl 7)

Marks

Stevens

Individual brightness functions.

Percept Psychophys 1966;1:17–24

Drummond

Predisposing, precipitating and relieving factors in different categories of headache.

Headache 1985;25:16–22

Raskin

Schwartz

Ice-pick-like pain.

Neurology 1980;30:203–5

Kayan

Hood

Neuro-otological manifestations of migraine.

Brain 1984;107:1123–42