Opioidergic changes in the pineal gland

[Ricardo]

While sorting through my bookmarks I found this...I love all the random cluster info that seems to come to me when I'm busting (and then forget about till weeks or months later when I look through what I've bookmarked....)

Opioidergic changes in the pineal gland and hypothalamus in cluster headache

Using PET with the opioidergic ligand [11C]diprenorphine, the authors demonstrate decreased tracer binding in the pineal gland of cluster headache patients vs healthy volunteers. Opioid receptor availability in the hypothalamus and cingulate cortex depended on the duration of the headache disorder. Therefore, the pathophysiology of cluster headache may relate to opioidergic dysfunction in circuitries generating the biologic clock.

http://www.neurology.org/content/66/7/1108.abstract?ck=nck

-Ricardo

[Ricardo]

In reference to what Bonkers was saying in a previous post about explaining things in an easy to understand way....I should explain that I have no clue what this study means

-Ricardo

[MattyAA]

I think it means that the longer headaches last the more crippled out opioid-something receptors become.

[Ricardo]

When  I read

"Therefore, the pathophysiology of cluster headache may relate to opioidergic dysfunction in circuitries generating the biologic clock."

it makes me think that what they're saying is that there may be something intrinsically wrong with our opiod system in general, As opposed to the actual cluster disorder causing changes in our brain and opiate system.  This would make sense with the fact that so many cluster sufferers get no relief from opiates....   I could be wrong, they don't give much detail in that abstract.