Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Headache Syndrome

Headache syndromes are the recognized patterns of recurrent or persistent head pain classified by their clinical features, presumed mechanisms, and underlying causes. They divide broadly into primary disorders, in which the headache is the disease itself, and secondary headaches, in which pain results from an identi…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 7 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 9× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2470-5020 🗓 Reviewed July 2026

Overview

Headache syndromes are the recognized patterns of recurrent or persistent head pain classified by their clinical features, presumed mechanisms, and underlying causes. They divide broadly into primary disorders, in which the headache is the disease itself, and secondary headaches, in which pain results from an identifiable underlying condition. Primary syndromes include migraine, tension-type headache, and the trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias such as cluster headache, each defined by characteristic location, quality, duration, and associated symptoms. Mechanistically, headache involves activation and sensitization of pain-sensitive structures, the meninges and their vessels, cranial nerves, and cervical afferents, together with central pain modulation. Cerebrovascular factors contribute in several syndromes; for instance, altered brain hemodynamics and cerebrovascular reactivity have been examined in tension-type headache. Secondary headaches demand particular vigilance because they can signal serious pathology, including cerebral ischemia and lacunar infarction, venous sinus thrombosis, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, sinus disease, and central nervous system inflammation or vasculitis. Diagnosis relies on a structured history, neurological examination, and recognition of warning features that prompt neuroimaging and further investigation. Management is tailored to the specific syndrome, combining acute symptomatic treatment, preventive strategies, and, for secondary headaches, treatment of the causative disorder.

Research published in this journal

7 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 7 articles above have been cited 9 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Headache Syndrome, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Neurological Research and Therapy (ISSN 2470-5020).

Journal editorial board
Ian J Martins · Australia Giuseppe Lanza · Italy Ion Codreanu · United States

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.