Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-7-2017
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Frequent mild head injuries or concussion along with the presence of headache may contribute to the persistence of concussion symptoms.
METHODS: In this study, the acute effects of recovery between mild head injuries and the frequency of injuries on a headache behavior, trigeminal allodynia, was assessed using von Frey testing up to one week after injury, while histopathological changes in the trigeminal pain pathway were evaluated using western blot, ELISA and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: A decreased recovery time combined with an increased mild closed head injury (CHI) frequency results in reduced trigeminal allodynia thresholds compared to controls. The repetitive CHI group with the highest injury frequency showed the greatest reduction in trigeminal thresholds along with greatest increased levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis. Repetitive CHI resulted in astrogliosis in the central trigeminal system, increased GFAP protein levels in the sensory barrel cortex, and an increased number of microglia cells in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis.
CONCLUSIONS: Headache behavior in rats is dependent on the injury frequency and recovery interval between mild head injuries. A worsening of headache behavior after repetitive mild head injuries was concomitant with increases in CGRP levels, the presence of astrocytosis, and microglia proliferation in the central trigeminal pathway. Signaling between neurons and proliferating microglia in the trigeminal pain system may contribute to the initiation of acute headache after concussion or other traumatic brain injuries.
Recommended Citation
Tyburski, Ashley L.; Cheng, Lan; Assari, Soroush; Darvish, Kurosh; and Elliott, Melanie B, "Frequent mild head injury promotes trigeminal sensitivity concomitant with microglial proliferation, astrocytosis, and increased neuropeptide levels in the trigeminal pain system." (2017). Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers. Paper 83.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/neurosurgeryfp/83
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
PubMed ID
28176234
Comments
This article has been peer reviewed. It is the author’s final published version in Journal of Headache and Pain
Volume 18, Issue 1, February 2017, Article number 16.
The published version is available at DOI: 10.1186/s10194-017-0726-1. Copyright © Tyburski et al.