Platelet catecholamines in cluster headache.

Abstract

Platelet tyrosine and catecholamine (CA) content was measured in cluster headache sufferers during the different phases of the illness. Compared with controls, cluster headache sufferers had lower platelet levels of norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) in all phases of the syndrome. Tyrosine levels were increased significantly during the cluster headache attack. We suggest that these results provide biochemical evidence of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) hypofimction in cluster headache. Norepinephrine and epinephrine assay procedure Subjects were resting in a supine position in a quiet room when blood samples were drawn.Platelets were obtained from 20 ml blood as previously described.8 The platelet pellet was sonicated in 1 ml perchloric acid, centrifuged and the supernatant placed in a filtration column (Baker 10-SPE) containing 25 mg acid-washed alumina (INC Biomedicals) and 1 ml of 1'5 M TRIS buffer, pH 8 6. After the column was washed with HPLC grade water the catecholamines were separated from the alumina by passing a 200 pl aliquot of 0G1 M perchloric acid through the column. NE and E were detected by HPLC using coulometric detection. The system consisted of a Rheodyne injector (Model 7125), Waters pump and ESA 51 00A coulochem detector together with an ESA model 5021 conditioning cell and an ESA model 5011 analytical cell. The potentials for detector 1, detector 2 and the conditioning cell were + 0 05,-0 -30 and + 0 40 V respectively. (An ESA HR-80 column was used for the separation). The mobile phase consisted of 0 0575 M monobasic sodium phosphate, 1 25 mM heptanesulphonic acid and 0-215 mM EDTA, adjusted to pH 3-6 with phosphoric acid and combined with 3% HPLC grade methanol. A 50 ,ul sample was injected directly onto the column. The retention times for NE and E were 1 9 and 3-1 minutes respectively. Dihydroxybenzylamine was used as an internal standard.

Platelet Levels of Dopamine Are Increased in Migraine and Cluster Headache

“…The reduced catabolic activity of this enzyme could explain the increased DA levels in platelets. The low level of norepinephrine—produced by DBH activity using DA as substrate—reported in those with migraine at menses, 15,33 together with an altered allelic distribution of the DBH gene found in migraine patients, 7 supports this hypothesis. No data are available on DBH activity in CH.…”

Pathogenesis of Cluster Headache: From Episodic to Chronic Form, the Role of Neurotransmitters and Neuromodulators

“…In ECH patients, plasma levels of TYRA, other elusive amines, and DA are significantly elevated in both the remission and active periods. One possibility is that this may reflect a biochemical shift of TYR metabolism involving, on the one hand, an increase in the activity of the TYR decarboxylase enzyme that transforms TYR into TYRA and l ‐DOPA into DA and, on the other hand, a decrease in the activity of TYR hydroxylase that results in a decrease in the synthesis of NE, as observed in platelets and cerebral spinal fluid of CH sufferers . In addition, the observation that NE levels are low in all phases of ECH suggests that this alteration may reflect an ongoing sympathetic dysfunction, since TYR hydroxylase is present in this system…”

Abnormal tyrosine metabolism in chronic cluster headache

“…The nature of the hypothalamic dysfunction and its role in the pathogenesis of CH is unknown. Studies have demonstrated that the levels of DA and TA, Oct and Syn are very high in plasma and platelets of CH patients in remission and active periods, whereas those of NE are significantly lower than those of control individuals (2,3,13). We suggested that if the same biochemical abnormalities are present in the hypothalamus and other centers of the pain matrix, these biochemical anomalies may be involved in the pathogenesis of episodic CH (2).…”