Effects of autogenic training on nitroglycerin-induced headaches

Objectives. - To investigate the prophylactic and acute effects of autogenic training (AT) during a nitroglycerin-induced migraine attack. Methods. - Thirty female migraineurs (without aura) and 11 controls participated in the study. Of these, 11 migraineurs and 5 controls practiced AT regularly for at least 6 months prior to and during the sublingual nitroglycerin test. Headache intensity and characteristics were recorded with a standardized method. During the nitroglycerin challenge, blood was collected for plasma cortisol determination and blood pressure and pulse rate were recorded. Results. - As a long-term preventive treatment, AT significantly decreased the mean headache frequency and intensity (P =.001) compared to the pretreatment period in the migraineurs who regularly practiced AT (n = 11). During the nitroglycerin challenge, AT successfully attenuated the nitroglycerin-induced acute decrease in blood pressure and pulse rate (P =.013; n = 16 AT subjects vs n = 25 non-AT subjects). However, it was not effective in preventing immediate headache (P =.71), did not decrease the frequency of acute migraine attacks (P =.79), and could not alleviate acute migraine pain (P =.78; n = 16 AT subjects vs n = 25 non-AT subjects). Plasma cortisol concentration significantly increased (P =.003) during the acute migraine attack (n = 22), and migraine intensity correlated with plasma cortisol elevations (P