Nociceptive trigeminocervical reflexes in healthy subjects

• Published in: Clinical neurophysiology Vol. 121; no. 9; pp. 1563 - 1568
• Main Authors: Serrao, Mariano, Coppola, Gianluca, Di Lorenzo, Cherubino, Di Fabio, Roberto, Padua, Luca, Sandrini, Giorgio, Pierelli, Francesco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier B.V 01.09.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis of Variance; Biological and medical sciences; Biophysics - methods; Electric Stimulation - methods; Electrodiagnosis. Electric activity recording; Electromyography - methods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Habituation; Habituation, Psychophysiologic; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Male; Medical sciences; Neck Muscles - innervation; Nervous system; Neurology; Nociceptors - physiology; Pain; Pain Measurement; Reaction Time - physiology; Recovery cycle; Reflex - physiology; Sensory Thresholds - physiology; Sleep. Vigilance; Stimulus intensity/response curve; Trigeminal Nerve - physiology; Trigeminocervical complex; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Young Adult; Stimulus intensity/response curve; Recovery cycle; Pain; Trigeminocervical complex; Habituation; Human; Reflex; Supraorbital nerve; Electrical stimulus; Stimulus intensity; Recovery; Electrodiagnosis; Trigeminal nerve; Muscle; Neck; Monitoring

Electrical stimulation of the supraorbital trigeminal nerve branch induces trigeminocervical reflex responses (TCRs) in the neck muscles. The purpose of this study was to elicit more nociceptive TCR responses through preferential activation of the nociceptive afferents with a concentric surface elec...