Clusterheadaches.com Message Board


    
      
        Clusterheadaches.com Message Board
        (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi)
      

        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Cluster Headache Specific >> Sleep Study: More evidence re. CH
        
(Message started by: Bob_Johnson on Mar 12^th, 2006, 11:20am)

Title: Sleep Study: More evidence re. CH
Post by Bob_Johnson on Mar 12^th, 2006, 11:20am

Cephalalgia. 2006 Mar;26(3):290-4.

A sleep study in cluster headache.

Della Marca G, Vollono C, Rubino M, Capuano A, Di Trapani G, Mariotti P.

Institute of Neurology, Department of Neuroscience, Catholic University, Rome, Italy.

Cluster headache (CH) is a primary headache with a close relation to sleep. CH presents a circa-annual rhythmicity; attacks occur preferably during the night, in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and they are associated with autonomic and neuroendocrine modifications. The posterior hypothalamus is the key structure for the biological phenomenon of CH. Our aim is to describe a 55-year-old man presenting a typical episodic CH, in whom we performed a prolonged sleep study, consisting of a 9-week actigraphic recording and repeated polysomnography, with evaluation of both sleep macrostructure and microstructure. During the acute bout of the cluster we observed an irregular sleep-wake pattern and abnormalities of REM sleep. After the cluster phase these alterations remitted.

We conclude that CH was associated, in this patient, with sleep dysregulation involving the biological clock and the arousal mechanisms, particularly in REM. All these abnormalities are consistent with posterior hypothalamic dysfunction.

PMID: 16472335

Title: Re: Sleep Study: More evidence re. CH
Post by karrie35 on Mar 12^th, 2006, 4:04pm

I think cluster headaches should instead be called hypothalamic dysfunction. Using the word headache is misleading and does not speak to the complex nature of these attacks.

My two cents!!

Karrie

Title: Re: Sleep Study: More evidence re. CH
Post by mynm156 on Mar 12^th, 2006, 8:03pm

Yep. I am one who has sleep apnea that requires CPAP. If you have never had a sleep study trust me you are soooooooo wired up that there are many anomalies to your sleep pattern. EEG leads, EKG Leads, nasal air flow leads, leg and arm leads you can not rest easy. I have had three sleep studies, studied, learned to perform and read them and it is my opinion that they are always somewhat skewed due to the fact that you are out of your environment and wired for sound. So the bottom line is I am not surprised that during a 9week study period that there would be even more anomalies and was it only one subject??? That does not very scientific if it was.

Title: Re: Sleep Study: More evidence re. CH
Post by marlinsfan on Mar 13^th, 2006, 8:46am

That study tells us nothing we don't already know. It's simple confirmation that our hypothalamus is messed up.

If it wasn't because we know this to be the case, we wouldn't believe in the study. It has a sample size of 1, and that is not a statistically significant sample size. I'm surprised it even got published.