Catecholamine response to light in migraine.

The effect of the shift from a low to a high luminosity of the environment on the urinary excretion of norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) was studied in migraineurs (26 cases) and controls (25 cases). In the latter the shift from a low to high light exposure increased NE excretion; in contrast, in migraineurs exposure to high luminosity resulted in a depression of NE excretion and an augmentation of E excretion. The possible participation of E discharge produced by photostimulation or by other stimuli in the pathogenesis of migraine attack is discussed.