Occipital nerve stimulation for cluster headache: lessons to learn from the 'voltage tuners'.

Background: Cluster headache (CH) is a significant health concern due to its major socioeconomic consequences and most patients being refractory to conventional strategies. For treatment resistant CH, occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) is considered an effective treatment option. Whereas most patients do not adjust the amplitude of the ONS system, a subset changes the amplitude on a regular basis using their remote control, and are therefore referred to as 'voltage tuners'.

Four Decades of Occipital Nerve Stimulation for Headache Disorders: A Systematic Review.

Purpose Of Review: Chronic headaches are a significant source of disability worldwide. Despite the development of conventional strategies, a subset of patients remain refractory and/or experience side effects following these treatments. Hence, occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) should be considered as an alternative strategy for intractable chronic headaches.

The non-decussating and decussating trigeminothalamic tracts in humans: A combination of connectome-based tractography and histological validation.

Background: Functional anatomical research proposed the existence of a bilateral trigeminal ascending system although the anatomy trajectories of the trigeminothalamic connections cranial to the pons remain largely elusive. This study therefore aimed to clarify the anatomical distributions of the trigeminothalamic connections in humans.

Methods: Advanced deterministic tractography to an averaged template of diffusion tensor imaging data from 1065 subjects from the Human Connectome Project was used.

The Untold Story of Occipital Nerve Stimulation in Patients With Cluster Headache: Surgical Technique in Relation to Clinical Efficacy.

Objectives: Approximately one in every 1000 adults experiences cluster headache (CH). Although occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) appears encouraging in treatment for most patients with refractory CH, some patients do not reach adequate pain relief with ONS. A reason for failure of ONS might be anatomical variations and different surgical approaches.

Intra- and interindividual attack frequency variability of chronic cluster headache.

Background: The lack of knowledge about the intra- and interindividual attack frequency variability in chronic cluster headache complicates power and sample size calculations for baseline periods of trials, and consensus on their most optimal duration.

Methods: We analyzed the 12-week baseline of the ICON trial (occipital nerve stimulation in medically intractable chronic cluster headache) for: (i) weekly vs. instantaneous recording of attack frequency; (ii) intra-individual and seasonal variability of attack frequency; and (iii) the smallest number of weeks to obtain a reliable estimate of baseline attack frequency.

Are psychedelics the answer to chronic pain: A review of current literature.

Aims: We aim to provide an evidence-based overview of the use of psychedelics in chronic pain, specifically LSD and psilocybin.

Content: Chronic pain is a common and complex problem, with an unknown etiology. Psychedelics like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin, may play a role in the management of chronic pain.

White matter changes in the trigeminal spinal tract in chronic migraineurs: an ex vivo study combining ultra-high-field diffusion tensor imaging and polarized light imaging microscopy.

Chronic migraine (CM) is a disabling neurologic disorder that affects approximately 2% of the general population. Neuroimaging studies show functional involvement of trigeminal structures, such as the trigeminal spinal nucleus (Sp5) in migraine. However, structural changes in the Sp5 and the afferent trigeminal spinal tract (sp5) have never been found.

Safety and efficacy of occipital nerve stimulation for attack prevention in medically intractable chronic cluster headache (ICON): a randomised, double-blind, multicentre, phase 3, electrical dose-controlled trial.

Background: Occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) has shown promising results in small uncontrolled trials in patients with medically intractable chronic cluster headache (MICCH). We aimed to establish whether ONS could serve as an effective treatment for patients with MICCH.

Methods: The ONS in MICCH (ICON) study is an investigator-initiated, international, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, phase 3, electrical dose-controlled clinical trial.

Safety and efficacy of galcanezumab in patients for whom previous migraine preventive medication from two to four categories had failed (CONQUER): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3b trial.

Background: Many patients who require migraine preventive treatment have not been able to tolerate or have not responded to multiple previous preventive medications. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of galcanezumab, an antibody to calcitonin gene-related peptide, in patients with migraine who had not benefited from preventive medications from two to four categories.

Methods: CONQUER was a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3b trial done at 64 sites (hospitals, clinics, or research centres) in 12 countries (Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, the UK, and the USA).

[Headache in adults; article for education and training purposes].

Headache is one of the most common complaints for which patients request help from the general practitioner (GP). Anxiety and fear of serious illness are the most common reasons for consulting the GP, but a request for medication and worries about daily functioning can also prompt the consultation. In this educational article we describe a practical approach to the symptom 'headache' in adults on the basis of a number of questions.

Parkinson's disease and long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution: A matched case-control study in the Netherlands.

Background: There is some evidence to suggest an association between ambient air pollution and development of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the small number of studies published to date has reported inconsistent findings.

Objectives: To assess the association between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution constituents and the development of PD.

Development and psychometric validation of the headache screening questionnaire - Dutch Version.

Background: Headache is a common disorder which may lead to substantial socio-economic loss. Treatment options include self-management strategies, medication and physiotherapy. Physiotherapists need to be able to screen for the presence of migraine and tension-type headache (TTH), so they can adjust their treatment strategies to the type of headache.

Environmental exposure to pesticides and the risk of Parkinson's disease in the Netherlands.

Background: Exposure to pesticides has been linked to Parkinson's disease (PD), although associations between specific pesticides and PD have not been well studied. Residents of rural areas can be exposed through environmental drift and volatilization of agricultural pesticides.

Objectives: Our aim was to investigate the association between lifetime environmental exposure to individual pesticides and the risk of PD, in a national case-control study.

WITHDRAWN: Anticonvulsant drugs for migraine prophylaxis.

July 2015: This review has been split and updated in a series of four new reviews (Linde 2013a; Linde 2013b; Linde 2013c; Linde 2013d). Readers are referred to those reviews for updated results. This review will not be updated.

Occupational exposure to solvents, metals and welding fumes and risk of Parkinson's disease.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the potential association between occupational exposure to solvents, metals and/or welding fumes and risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: Data of a hospital based case-control study including 444 PD patients and 876 age and sex matched controls was used. Occupational histories and lifestyle information of cases and controls were collected in a structured telephone interview.

Antiepileptics in migraine prophylaxis: an updated Cochrane review.

Introduction: The efficacy of several antiepileptics in the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults has been systematically reviewed. Because many trial reports have been published since then, an updated systematic review was warranted.

Methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed/MEDLINE (1966 to January 15, 2013), MEDLINE In-Process (current week, January 15, 2013), and EMBASE (1974 to January 15, 2013) and hand-searched Headache and Cephalalgia through January 2013.

Occupational exposure to pesticides and endotoxin and Parkinson disease in the Netherlands.

Objectives: Previous research has indicated that occupational exposure to pesticides and possibly airborne endotoxin may increase the risk of developing Parkinson disease (PD). We studied the associations of PD with occupational exposure to pesticides, specifically to the functional subclasses insecticides, herbicides and fungicides, and to airborne endotoxin. In addition we evaluated specific pesticides (active ingredients) previously associated with PD.

Extremely low-frequency magnetic field exposure, electrical shocks and risk of Parkinson's disease.

Purpose: Previous studies did not provide strong evidence for an increased Parkinson's disease (PD) risk after exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF), but were limited in their scope to address other exposures related to the use of electricity such as electrical shocks. We evaluated the associations of PD with exposure to ELF-MF, electrical shocks and having worked in "electrical occupations."

Methods: We conducted a hospital-based case-control study, including 444 PD patients and 876 age- and sex-matched controls.

A case-control study of the protective effect of alcohol, coffee, and cigarette consumption on Parkinson disease risk: time-since-cessation modifies the effect of tobacco smoking.

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible reduced risk of Parkinson Disease (PD) due to coffee, alcohol, and/or cigarette consumption. In addition, we explored the potential effect modification by intensity, duration and time-since-cessation of smoking on the association between cumulative pack-years of cigarette smoking (total smoking) and PD risk. Data of a hospital based case-control study was used including 444 PD patients, diagnosed between 2006 and 2011, and 876 matched controls from 5 hospitals in the Netherlands.

Integrated multidisciplinary care in Parkinson's disease: a non-randomised, controlled trial (IMPACT).

Background: A multidisciplinary approach is thought to be the best way to manage the motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, but how such care should be delivered is unknown. To address this gap in knowledge, we assessed the effectiveness of an integrated multidisciplinary approach compared with usual care.

Methods: We recruited patients for our non-randomised controlled trial from six community hospitals in the Netherlands (two in regions where the integrated care intervention was available and four in control regions that administered usual care).

Valproate (valproic acid or sodium valproate or a combination of the two) for the prophylaxis of episodic migraine in adults.

Background: Some antiepileptic drugs but not others are useful in clinical practice for the prophylaxis of migraine. This might be explained by the variety of actions of these drugs in the central nervous system. The present review is part of an update of a Cochrane review first published in 2004, and previously updated (conclusions not changed) in 2007.

Topiramate for the prophylaxis of episodic migraine in adults.

Background: Some antiepileptic drugs but not others are useful in clinical practice for the prophylaxis of migraine. This might be explained by the variety of actions of these drugs in the central nervous system. The present review is part of an update of a Cochrane review first published in 2004, and previously updated (conclusions not changed) in 2007.

Gabapentin or pregabalin for the prophylaxis of episodic migraine in adults.

Background: Some antiepileptic drugs but not others are useful in clinical practice for the prophylaxis of migraine. This might be explained by the variety of actions of these drugs in the central nervous system. The present review is part of an update of a Cochrane review first published in 2004, and previously updated (conclusions not changed) in 2007.