EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON HEADACHE

Abstract

The blood vessels of the head are an important site of origin of nerve impulses interpreted as headache.¹The purpose of this investigation was to obtain further information concerning the contribution to pain made by the cranial arteries in headache and concerning the nerve pathways which conduct these impulses. Anatomic and experimental studies have aided in the clarification of the innervation of intracranial structures. Studies on man have shown that all arteries of the scalp are sensitive to pain, as are also the arteries of the dura, except the smaller terminal branches.²The more proximal portions (1 to 5 cm.) of the middle, anterior and posterior cerebral and the internal carotid arteries are sensitive to pain, as are the vertebral and basilar arteries and the proximal portions of their branches.³It has been shown in cats that the larger cerebral vessels, especially those near the base of