Updated April 24, 2015.

In an effort to support and advance research into the diagnosis and treatment of headache, the National Headache Foundation (NHF) will host its 1st Annual Headache Research Summit February 10, 2004 in Rancho Mirage, CA.

The National Headache Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the more than 45 million Americans who experience chronic, recurring headache.  That's more than the 33 million sufferers of arthritis, diabetes and coronary heart disease combined.


One of the presenters at the summit will be Dr. Dawn A. Marcus, Associate Professor Anesthesiology & Neurology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. I spoke with her recently regarding the current JAMA article, "Migraine as a Risk Factor for Subclinical Brain Lesions. She pointed out that, especially since triptans have been on the market, some patients have preferred to use triptans to abort Migraines and have been less likely to pursue preventive treatment. She hopes the study and article will reverse that trend and spur more research into the prevention of Migraine attacks.

Among the presentations to be made at the Research Summit are:

• "Neuro-Vestibular Pathophysiology of Migrainous Vertigo" by Dawn A. Marcus, M.D., Joseph M. Furman, M.D., Ph.D., Patrick Sparto, Ph.D., Mark Redfern, Ph.D. and Richard Jennings, Ph.D. at University of Pittsburgh. The study was designed to identify and quantify objective vestibular pathology in migraineurs with and without vertigo.  Migraine sufferers with dizziness are likely to have visual and balance problems independent of their migraines.  The serotonergic mechanism, which causes migraine, may also be responsible for affecting dizziness and balance systems in the brain.

• "Inpatient Treatment of Chronic Daily Headache" by Seymour Diamond, M.D. and Alexander Feoktistov, M.D., Ph.D. of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago. This presentation will review a study of the efficacy of inpatient treatment of patients with chronic daily headache.  A sub-group of 103 chronic headache patients having rebound headache, medication dependence, and transformed migraine, who were unresponsive to previous outpatient treatment had a 63% positive response rate to inpatient hospitalization which included detoxification, preventive pharmacotherapy and non-pharmacological treatments.
• "Medical Education in Headache: Curricular Offerings at Medical Schools and Residency Programs" by R. Michael Gallagher, Rolande Alam (MSIII), Shiwan Shah (MSII), Loretta Muller and James Rogers of the University Headache Center, UMDNJ School of Osteopathic Medicine in Moorestown, NJ. This study examined the curricular offerings related to headache evaluation and treatment.  A survey of medical schools and Family Practice residency programs showed a lack of education or a minimal amount of curriculum time dedicated to headache diagnosis and treatment.
• "Evaluation of Disease Burden in Subjects with Migraine" by Roger K. Cady, M.D., Kathleen U. Farmer, Psy.D. and Curtis P. Schreiber, M.D. of the Headache Care Center in Springfield, MO.  This study evaluated the baseline functioning between attacks of migraine for a group of migraine sufferers to determine the burden of migraine upon them.  The more severe the migraine, the greater the increase in other bodily and neurological complaints. The same process by which migraine causes headache may be causing the other neurological disorders.  The study strongly suggests that it is important not to let migraine progress to a chronic state.
• "Fibromyalgia and Chronic Headache" by Dawn A. Marcus, M.D., Cheryl Bernstein, M.D. and Thomas E. Rudy, Ph.D. of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA. This research study sought to identify co-occurrence of troublesome headache in fibromyalgia patients and compare symptom-severity measures between fibromyalgia patients with and without chronic headache.  This statistical study demonstrates that 77% of patients seeking treatment for fibromyalgia have chronic headache as an accompanying symptom.  In-depth headache evaluation is warranted in these patients.

>>Please click the link below to continue.<<
The National Headache Foundation (NHF)
In an effort to support and advance research into the diagnosis and treatment of headache, the National Headache Foundation (NHF) will host its 1st Annual Headache Research Summit February 10, 2004 in Rancho Mirage, CA.

The National Headache Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the more than 45 million Americans who experience chronic, recurring headache.  That's more than the 33 million sufferers of arthritis, diabetes and coronary heart disease combined.

One of the presenters at the summit will be Dr. Dawn A. Marcus, Associate Professor Anesthesiology & Neurology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. I spoke with her recently regarding the current JAMA article, "Migraine as a Risk Factor for Subclinical Brain Lesions. She pointed out that, especially since triptans have been on the market, some patients have preferred to use triptans to abort Migraines and have been less likely to pursue preventive treatment. She hopes the study and article will reverse that trend and spur more research into the prevention of Migraine attacks.

Among the presentations to be made at the Research Summit are:

• "Neuro-Vestibular Pathophysiology of Migrainous Vertigo" by Dawn A. Marcus, M.D., Joseph M. Furman, M.D., Ph.D., Patrick Sparto, Ph.D., Mark Redfern, Ph.D. and Richard Jennings, Ph.D. at University of Pittsburgh. The study was designed to identify and quantify objective vestibular pathology in migraineurs with and without vertigo.  Migraine sufferers with dizziness are likely to have visual and balance problems independent of their migraines.  The serotonergic mechanism, which causes migraine, may also be responsible for affecting dizziness and balance systems in the brain.
• "Inpatient Treatment of Chronic Daily Headache" by Seymour Diamond, M.D. and Alexander Feoktistov, M.D., Ph.D. of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago. This presentation will review a study of the efficacy of inpatient treatment of patients with chronic daily headache.  A sub-group of 103 chronic headache patients having rebound headache, medication dependence, and transformed migraine, who were unresponsive to previous outpatient treatment had a 63% positive response rate to inpatient hospitalization which included detoxification, preventive pharmacotherapy and non-pharmacological treatments.
• "Medical Education in Headache: Curricular Offerings at Medical Schools and Residency Programs" by R. Michael Gallagher, Rolande Alam (MSIII), Shiwan Shah (MSII), Loretta Muller and James Rogers of the University Headache Center, UMDNJ School of Osteopathic Medicine in Moorestown, NJ. This study examined the curricular offerings related to headache evaluation and treatment.  A survey of medical schools and Family Practice residency programs showed a lack of education or a minimal amount of curriculum time dedicated to headache diagnosis and treatment.
• "Evaluation of Disease Burden in Subjects with Migraine" by Roger K. Cady, M.D., Kathleen U. Farmer, Psy.D. and Curtis P. Schreiber, M.D. of the Headache Care Center in Springfield, MO.  This study evaluated the baseline functioning between attacks of migraine for a group of migraine sufferers to determine the burden of migraine upon them.  The more severe the migraine, the greater the increase in other bodily and neurological complaints. The same process by which migraine causes headache may be causing the other neurological disorders.  The study strongly suggests that it is important not to let migraine progress to a chronic state.
• "Fibromyalgia and Chronic Headache" by Dawn A. Marcus, M.D., Cheryl Bernstein, M.D. and Thomas E. Rudy, Ph.D. of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA. This research study sought to identify co-occurrence of troublesome headache in fibromyalgia patients and compare symptom-severity measures between fibromyalgia patients with and without chronic headache.  This statistical study demonstrates that 77% of patients seeking treatment for fibromyalgia have chronic headache as an accompanying symptom.  In-depth headache evaluation is warranted in these patients.

>>Please click the link below to continue.<<