For a full story on sympathectomy and consequences, look up nerve injury or denervation

"I think the surgeons may not be aware of the long term consequences of denervation" Ahmet Hoke M.D., Ph.D. FRCPC

Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, Director, Neuromuscular Division Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Neurology


Sunday 4 January 2015

cervical sympathectomy induces mast cell hyperplasia and increases histamine and serotonin content in the rat dura mater

A. Bergerot, A.M. Reynier-Rebuffel, J. Callebert, P. Aubineau, 

Long-term superior cervical sympathectomy induces mast cell hyperplasia and increases histamine and serotonin content in the rat dura mater

Neuroscience 96 (2000) 205–213. 


Mast cells are critical players in allergic reactions, but they have also been shown to be important in immunity and recently also in inflammatory diseases, especially asthma. Migraines are episodic, typically unilateral, throbbing headaches that occur more frequently in patients with allergy and asthma implying involvement of meningeal and/or brain mast cells. These mast cells are located perivascularly, in close association with neurons especially in the dura, where they can be activated following trigeminal nerve, as well as cervical or sphenopalatine ganglion stimulation. Neuropeptides such as calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), hemokinin A, neurotensin (NT), pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP), and substance P (SP) activate mast cells leading to secretion of vasoactive, proinflammatory, and neurosensitizing mediators, thereby contributing to migraine pathogenesis. Brain mast cells can also secrete proinflammatory and vasodilatory molecules such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), selectively in response
to corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), a mediator of stress which is known to precipitate or exacerbate migraines. A better understanding of brain mast cell activation in migraines would be useful and could lead to several points of prophylactic intervention.

D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Brain Research Reviews 49 (2005) 65 – 76
The role of mast cells in migraine pathophysiology
Theoharis C. Theoharides*, Jill Donelan,
Kristiana Kandere-Grzybowska1

, Aphrodite Konstantinidou2

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