Table 1.
Experimental design
| Experiment design | Group | Migraine without aura | Cervicogenic headache | Healthy control |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sample size (female/male) | 10/5 | 10/5 | 10/5 | |
| Clinical assessment (week 1–4) | Headache intensity | On visual analog scores (0: no pain to 10: worst pain) | ||
| Headache frequency | The number of headaches separated by 48+ hours of pain-free intervals within the past 4 weeks | |||
| Duration of headache | The time in hours from the beginning till the end of a headache episode | |||
| MRS test at the end of week 4 | Sequence | 2D-multiple voxel PRESS | ||
| Location | Left thalamus, right thalamus, anterior cingulate cortex and posterior part of paracentral gyrus | |||
| Metabolite ratio | NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr, Cho/NAA | |||
| Intervention therapy (week 5) | Frequency | 1 time/day for 5 days | ||
| Method | Acupuncture | |||
| Acupoints | Verum* or sham** | |||
| MRS test at the end of week 5 | Sequence | 2D-multiple voxel PRESS | ||
| Location | Left thalamus, right thalamus, anterior cingulate cortex and posterior part of paracentral gyrus | |||
| Metabolite ratio | NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr, Cho/NAA | |||
| Clinical assessment (week 6–9) | Headache intensity | On visual analog scores (0: no pain to 10: worst pain) | ||
| Headache frequency | The number of headaches separated by 48+ hours of pain-free intervals within the past 4 weeks | |||
| Duration of headache | The time in hours from the beginning till the end of a headache episode | |||
Note:
*
Baihui (DU20), bilateral Fengchi (GB20) and Xingjian (LR2) for patients of both groups.
**
10 mm straight medial from the Baihui (DU20), bilateral Fengchi (GB20) and Xingjian (LR2) for healthy controls.
Abbreviations: MRS, magnetic resonance spectroscopy; PRESS, single-voxel point-resolved spectroscopy; NAA, N-acetylaspartate; Cr, creatine; Cho, choline-containing compounds.