Somatosensory Hyperexcitability and Disinhibition in Tension-Type Headaches: An MEG Study

Abstract

Tension-type headache (TTH) is defined by bilateral pressing or tightening pain over the head or neck. To unveil the underlying mechanism of TTH and its chronification, we used magnetiencephalographic (MEG) recording to investigate the cortical responses to paired-pulse electrical stimulation paradigm in patients with chronic TTH (CTTH), episodic TTH (ETTH) and in healthy controls. Larger amplitudes in the contralateral primary somatosensory cortex (cSI) for first and second stimulation were observed in CTTH than in controls, and larger gating ratios (ampitude to second stimuli/amplitude to first stimuli) in cSI were noted in CTTH and ETTH than in controls. This MEG study demonstrated that CTTH was characterized with the hyperexcitability and disinhibition in cSI, whereas deficiency of inhibitory function was also observed in ETTH.