Role of neurophysiology in the clinical practice of primary pediatric headaches

Abstract

The role of electrophysiological studies in pediatric headaches is controversial. In childhood headaches, neurophysiological examinations are of interest for potential clinical use because they are noninvasive and are scarcely influenced by environmental factors or drug use. Electrophysiological studies in childhood headache principally explored the role of electroencephalographic (EEG) evaluations in migraine, while less evidence has been reported about other neurophysiological techniques, such as evoked potentials, event-related potentials, and, less often, transcranial magnetic stimulation. In this brief review, we point out our attention to the aid of neurophysiological methods in the clinical diagnosis of pediatric headaches. Although many examinations are actually of little value in the clinical setting, they may have a potential role in some clinical subgroups or in monitoring and evaluating the effects of pharmacological treatment. Drug Dev Res 68: 389-396, 2007. r