Biofeedback training for self-regulation of blood-volume pulse ("BVP") amplitude of the temporal arteries has been used previously with good results in treatment of migraine headaches. In the present study, 23 subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups and given (a) biofeedback training in temporal artery constriction and instructions to apply these skills during headaches; (b) the same training and instructions to apply the skills between headaches, during stress periods, and (c) biofeedback training to dilate the temporal arteries, and instructions to use these skills during stress periods. Clinically meaningful headache reductions were achieved and maintained at follow-up. Furthermore, results indicated that voluntary temporal artery dilatation also leads to headache reductions, and that there is a connection between levels of achieved self-regulation sldll and the clinical effects.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Allen, R. A. , & Mills, G. K. (1982). The effects of unilateral plethysmographic feedback of temporal artery activity during migraine head pain. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 26, 133-140.
2.
Bild, R. , & Adams, H. E. (1980). Modification of migraine headaches by cephalic blood volume pulse and EMG biofeedback. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 51-57.
3.
Blanchard, E. B. , & Andrasik, F. (1985). Management of chronic headaches: A psychological approach. New York: Pergamon.
4.
Borkovec, T. D. , & Nau, S. (1972). Credibility of analogue therapy rationales. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 3, 257-260.
5.
Budzynski, T. H. , Stoyva, J. H., & Adler, C. S. (1973). EMG biofeedback and tension headache: A controlled outcome study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 35, 484-496.
6.
Cinciripini, P. M. , Williamson, D. A., & Epstein, E. H. (1980). Behavioral treatment of migraine headaches. In J. M. Ferguson & C. B. Taylor (Eds.) The comprehensive handbook of behavioral medicine (Vol. 2). New York: Spectrum.
7.
Ekbom, K. (1976). Huvudvark: Frageformular for huvudvark (Headache: Questionnaire for headache). Forskning och praktik8, 115-118.
8.
Feuerstein, M. , & Adams, H. E. (1977). Cephalic vasomotor feedback in the modification of migraine headache. Biofeedback and self-regulation, 2, 241-254.
9.
Friar, L. R. , & Beatty, J. (1976). Migraine: Management by trained control of vasoconstriction. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 44, 46-53.
10.
Gauthier, J. , Doyon, J., Lacroix, R., & Drolet, M. (1983). Blood volume pulse biofeedback in the treatment of migraine headache: A controlled evaluation. Biofeedback and Self-Regulation, 8, 427-442.
11.
Gauthier, J. , Lacroix, R., Cote, A., Doyon, J., & Drolet, M. (1985). Biofeedback control of migraine headaches: A comparison of two approaches. Biofeedback and Self-Regulation, 10, 139-159.
12.
Johansson, J. (1981). Frdgeformularf6r diagnostik av huvudvdrk (Questionnaire for diagnosing headache). Unpublished manuscript, Psychiatric Research Center, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden.
13.
Johansson, J. , & Ost, L-G. (1982). Self-control procedures in biofeedback: A review of temperature biofeedback in the treatment of migraine. Biofeedback and Self-Regulation, 7, 435-442.
14.
Johansson, J. , & Ost, L-G. (1987). Temperature-biofeedback in the treatment of migraine headache. Behavior Modification, 11, 182-199.
15.
Perski, A. (1977). Voluntary control of heartrate: Optimization of aquisition and transfer of learning. Abstracts of Uppsala Dissertations from Faculty of Social Sciences (Vol. 17).
16.
Price, K. P. & Tursky, B. (1976). Vascular reactivity of migraineurs: A comparison of responses to self-control procedures. Headache, 6, 210-216.
17.
Sargent, J. D. , Walters, E. D., & Green, E. E. (1973). Psychosomatic self-regulation of migraine headache. Seminars in Psychiatry, 5, 415-428.
18.
Sovak, M. , Kunzel, M., Stembach, R. A., & Dalessio, D. J. (1978). Is volitional manipulation of hemodynamics a valid rationale for biofeedback therapy of migraine?Headache, 18, 197-202.
19.
Sturgis, E. T. , Adams, H. E., & Brantley, P. J. (1981). The parameters, etiology, and treatment of migraine headaches. In S. N. Haynes & L. Gannon (Eds.). Psychosomatic disorders. New York: Praeger.
20.
Sturgis, E. T. , Tollison, C. D., & Adams, H. E. (1978). Modification of combined migraine muscle-contraction headaches using BVP and EMG feedback. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 11, 215-233.
21.
Williamson, D. A. (1981). Behavioral treatment of migraine and muscle-contraction headaches: Outcome and theoretical explanations. In M. Hersen, R. M. Eisler, & P. Miller (Eds.). Progress in Behavior Modification (VoL. 11). New York: Academic Press.
22.
Wolff, H. G. (1963). Headache and other head pain. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
