Vasoconstriction in human isolated middle meningeal arteries: determining the contribution of 5-HT1B- and 5-HT1F-receptor activation.
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AIMS: Sumatriptan is a 5-HT1B/1D-receptor agonist which also has affinity for 5-HT1F-receptors. The vasoconstrictor effects of sumatriptan are thought to be 5-HT1B-receptor mediated and these receptors have been shown to be expressed in human cranial blood vessels. However, in the same tissue mRNA coding for 5-HT1F-receptors has also been identified and this study addresses the possibility of whether 5-HT1F-receptor activation contributes to vasoconstriction. METHODS: The ability of two selective 5-HT1B/1D-receptor antagonists (GR125,743 and GR127,935) with no affinity for 5-HT1F-receptors, to inhibit sumatriptan evoked contractions in human isolated middle meningeal artery was investigated. Using a series of 5-HT1B/1D-receptor agonists (sumatriptan, zolmitriptan, CP122,288, L-741,519 and L-741,604), some with high affinity for 5-HTIF-receptors and the non-selective 5-HT-receptor agonists 5-HT and 5-CT, we compared the vasoconstrictor potency of these drugs in human isolated middle meningeal artery with their affinities at cloned human 5-HT1B-, 5-HT1D-and 5-HT1F-receptors expressed in CHO cell lines. RESULTS: GR125,743 antagonized sumatriptan evoked contractions in a competitive manner (apparent pA2 9.1) and GR127,935 antagonized sumatriptan-induced responses in a non-competitive manner (reducing the maximum contraction to 27%). There was a significant correlation between vasoconstrictor potency and 5-HT1B-receptor affinity (r=0.93, P=0.002) but not with 5-HT1D- or 5-HT1F-receptor affinity (r=0.74, P=0.06; r= 0.31, P= 0.49, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These experiments show that in human middle meningeal artery vasoconstriction to sumatriptan-like agents is 5-HT1B-receptor mediated with little if any contribution from 5-HT1F-receptor activation. (+info)
Dural vasodilation causes a sensitization of rat caudal trigeminal neurones in vivo that is blocked by a 5-HT1B/1D agonist.
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1. Migraine headache pain is thought to result from an abnormal distention of intracranial, extracerebral blood vessels and the consequent activation of the trigeminal nervous system. Migraine is also often accompanied by extracranial sensory disturbances from facial tissues. These experiments investigate whether meningeal dilation produces central sensitization of neurones that receive convergent input from the face. 2. Single unit extracellular activity was recorded from the trigeminal nucleus caudalis of anaesthetized rats in response to either noxious stimulation of the dura mater, innocuous stimulation of the vibrissae or to a transient dilation of the meningeal vascular bed. 3. Rat alpha-CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide; 1 microg kg(-1), i.v.) caused a dilation of the middle meningeal artery and facilitated vibrissal responses by 36+/-7%. 4. The 5-HT1B/1D agonist, L-741,604 (3 mg kg(-1), i.v.), inhibited responses to noxious stimulation of the dura mater (16+/-7% of control) and, in a separate group of animals, blocked the CGRP-evoked facilitation of vibrissal responses. 5. L-741,604 (3 mg kg(-1), i.v.) also inhibited responses to innocuous stimulation of the vibrissa (14+/-10% of control) with neurones that received convergent input from the face and from the dura mater, but not with cells that received input only from the face (70+/-12% of control). 6. These data show that dilation of meningeal blood vessels causes a sensitization of central trigeminal neurones and a facilitation of facial sensory processing which was blocked by activation of pre-synaptic 5-HT1B/1D receptors. 7. Sustained dural blood vessel dilation during migraine may cause a sensitization of trigeminal neurones. This may underlie some of the symptoms of migraine, such as the headache pain and the extracranial allodynia. Inhibition of this central sensitization may therefore offer a novel strategy for the development of acute and/or prophylactic anti-migraine therapies. (+info)
Superselective intraarterial fibrinolysis in central retinal artery occlusion.
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Intraarterial fibrinolysis was performed in three patients with acute central retinal artery occlusion using recombinant tissue plasminogen activator as a fibrinolytic agent. In two cases the ophthalmic artery was selectively catheterized, and in the other a thrombolytic drug was infused into the ophthalmic artery by way of the meningeal collaterals. All patients experienced visual improvement. Fibrinolysis can produce better results than obtained from conservative treatment. A good prognosis can be achieved if the treatment starts within the first 4 to 5 hours after occlusion. (+info)
Multiple dural arteriovenous shunts in a 5-year-old boy.
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We describe a rare case of multiple dural arteriovenous shunts (DAVSs) in a 5-year-old boy. MR imaging performed at 1 year of age showed only a dilated anterior part of the superior sagittal sinus; however, angiography at 5 years of age revealed an infantile-type DAVS there and two other DAVSs of the adult type. The pathophysiological evolution of DAVSs in children and their treatment strategies are discussed. (+info)
Stimulation of the middle meningeal artery leads to Fos expression in the trigeminocervical nucleus: a comparative study of monkey and cat.
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The pain of a migraine attack is often described as unilateral, with a throbbing or pulsating quality. The middle meningeal artery (MMA) is the largest artery supplying the dura mater, is paired, and pain-producing in humans. This artery, or its branches, and other large intracranial extracerebral vessels have been implicated in the pathophysiology of migraine by theories suggesting neurogenic inflammation or cranial vasodilatation, or both, as explanations for the pain of migraine. Having previously studied in detail the distribution of the second order neurons that are involved in the transmission of nociceptive signals from intracranial venous sinuses, we sought to compare the distribution of second order neurons from a pain-producing intracranial artery in both monkey and cat. By electrically stimulating the middle meningeal artery in these species and using immunohistochemical detection of the proto-oncogene Fos as a marker of neuronal activation, we have mapped the sites of the central trigeminal neurons which may be involved in transmission of nociception from intracranial extracerebral arteries. Ten cats and 3 monkeys were anaesthetised with alpha-chloralose and the middle meningeal artery was isolated following a temporal craniotomy. The animals were maintained under stable anaesthesia for 24 h to allow Fos expression due to the initial surgery to dissipate. Following the rest period, the vessel was carefully lifted onto hook electrodes, and then left alone in control animals (cat n = 3), or stimulated (cat n = 6, monkey n = 3). Stimulation of the left middle meningeal artery evoked Fos expression in the trigeminocervical nucleus, consisting of the dorsal horn of the caudal medulla and upper 2 divisions of the cervical spinal cord, on both the ipsilateral and contralateral sides. Cats had larger amounts of Fos expressed on the ipsilateral than on the contralateral side. Fos expression in the caudal nucleus tractus solitarius and its caudal extension in lamina X of the spinal cord was seen bilaterally in response to middle meningeal artery stimulation. This study demonstrates a comparable anatomical distribution of Fos activation between cat and monkey and, when compared with previous studies, between this arterial structure and the superior sagittal sinus. These data add to the overall picture of the trigeminovascular innervation of the intracranial pain-producing vessels showing marked anatomical overlap which is consistent with the often poorly localised pain of migraine. (+info)
Acquired pial arteriovenous fistula following cerebral vein thrombosis.
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BACKGROUND: We report a unique case of an acquired pial arteriovenous fistula occurring after an asymptomatic thrombosis of a superficial cerebral vein. CASE DESCRIPTION: A cerebral angiogram performed in a 51-year-old man with subarachnoid hemorrhage revealed a 10-mm ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm and a thrombosed left superficial middle cerebral vein. Coil embolization of the anterior communicating aneurysm was performed. Follow-up angiography 18 months later revealed a new, asymptomatic, pial arteriovenous fistula between the previously thrombosed left superficial middle cerebral vein and a small sylvian branch of the left middle cerebral artery. CONCLUSIONS: This case provides evidence that pial arteriovenous fistulas may develop as acquired lesions and furthermore may rarely follow cerebral vein thrombosis. Several cases of dural arteriovenous fistulas, as well as a single case of a mixed pial-dural arteriovenous fistula, occurring after dural sinus thrombosis have been reported previously. However, to our knowledge, this is the first report of an acquired pial arteriovenous fistula following a cerebral vein thrombosis. (+info)
"Ivy sign" on fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery images in childhood moyamoya disease.
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We report on MR studies of a 15-year-old girl with moyamoya disease in whom diffuse leptomeningeal enhancement ("ivy sign") was revealed by fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) and contrast-enhanced imaging. We speculate that the mechanism behind this enhancement is caused by a retrograde slow flow of engorged pial vasculature via leptomeningeal anastomosis. Nevertheless, it remains unknown whether the precise source of a high signal on FLAIR images is attributable to pial vessels themselves or congested thickening of the leptomeninges or both. (+info)
Three cases of dural arteriovenous fistula of the anterior condylar vein within the hypoglossal canal.
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Dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) of the anterior condylar vein are an uncommon but important subset of fistulas occurring at the skull base that can be confused with DAVFs of the marginal sinus on angiography. MR angiography source images can document the intraosseous extent and the relationship to the hypoglossal canal of this type of fistula, which can have significant clinical implications. We present the imaging features of angiography, CT, and MR angiography of three cases of DAVFs localized to the anterior condylar vein and within the hypoglossal canal, which were confirmed by source images from MR angiography. Transvenous coil embolization was curative in two of three cases and would seem to be the treatment of choice when venous access is available. (+info)