SYNOPSIS Common migraine has been related to both dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (A.N.S.) in the regulation of cerebral vasomotor tonicity and to neurotic and depressive tendencies. In the present study 86 normal healthy controls and 50 patients with common migraine were studied in order to determine whether tonic or phasic central autonomic nervous system dysfunction was concomitant with migraine during a headache‐free, medication‐free interval. pupillometry was employed to measure relevant parameters of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity at rest and during the cold pressor test. Concomitantly, measurements of neuroticism, anxiety and depression were also obtained. Migraineurs were not identifiably different from controls with respect to tonic sympathetic or parasympathetic activity nor were they distinguishable on measures of supranuclear inhibition. However, 70% of migraineurs manifested phasic hyposympathetic activity in response to the cold pressor test. These migraineurs also demonstrated more neurotic and depressive tendencies. The physiological dysfunction was shown to differentiate the groups of migraineurs after personality variables were statistically controlled by a covariance multiple regression analysis. Results of the study are discussed in relationship to cerebral blood flow and permeability of the cerebral vasculature.

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SYNOPSIS Recent studies have hypothesized that late‐onset immune response may be mediated through Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and Immunoglobulin A (IgA) in common migraine. In the present study, measurements of serum concentrations IgD, IgA, IgE, IgM and IgG were obtained on samples of healthy controls and common migraineurs. No significant differences in concentration of any of the isotypes were found between groups. Correlational analysis between isotypes within groups demonstrated that whereas the relationships between IgD and IgG, IgD and IgA, and IgG and IgE were positive in the control group, the correlations between these variables in the migraineurs were negative (inverse). Moreover, the application of semi‐partial correlational techniques to these relationships generated divergent models of regulatory process underlying isotype expression. In control subjects, IgD is involved in the expression of IgA and IgE, which are reciprocally related to each other and in turn affect the concentration of IgG. Common migraineurs were found to be characterized by a dysfunctional regulatory process as manifested in their pattern of isotype expression. IgD is involved in the independent expression of IgA, IgE or IgG, but IgA and IgE are not involved in the expression of IgG and there is no reciprocal relationship between IgA and IgE.

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Several parameters of the pupillary light and dark reflexes were employed as indices of sympathetic-parasympathetic activity in comparing alcoholics to nonalcoholics at rest, during stress, and following the termination of stress. Moreover, as the alcoholics were given the choice of drinking at frequent fixed intervals, the control values of autonomic activity were correlated with the subsequent decision to drink or not to drink. Overall differences in autonomic reactivity between nonalcoholics and alcoholics were found and drinkers were differentiable from alcoholic abstainers on several parameters.