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ULg

University of Liège, Liège, Belgium

Prof. Schoenen is principle investigator at University of Liège (Ulg). He has 20 years of experience in the use of neurophysiological methods to study migraine pathophysiology, in particular habituation in cortical information processing, single fiber EMG (sfEMG) measurements, and pain processing in the trigeminal and trigeminovascular systems. He will perform clinical studies together with University of Duisburg-Essen (Uni Essen) and Glostrup University Hospital (KASGlostrup).

Summary of relevant expertise

  1. Habituation of visual, auditory, motor and nociceptive evoked potentials. Ulg has demonstrated that migraine patients are characterized interictally by a deficient habituation of cortical potentials evoked (EP) by various repetitive sensory stimuli. The effects on the brain of high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulations (rTMS) differ between migraineurs and healthy subjects. Baseline and stimulation-induced brain metabolism may be abnormal in migraineurs and play a pathogenic role.
  2. Single fiber EMG studies.Subtle abnormalities of the neuromuscular transmission safety factor, i.e. of acetylcholine release in motor nerve endings, were demonstrated in subgroups of migraine with aura patients and found to be reversible with acetazolamide treatment. They are thought to reflect a dysfunction of ion channels in presynaptic motor nerves.

Five recent publications: (From a total of >200 Peer-reviewed publications)

Induction of long-lasting changes of visual cortex excitability by five daily sessions of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in healthy volunteers and migraine patients.

Fumal A, Coppola G, Bohotin V, Gerardy PY, Seidel L, Donneau AF, Vandenheede M, Maertens de Noordhout A, Schoenen J.

Cephalalgia 2006;26:143-9.

Orbitofrontal cortex involvement in chronic analgesic-overuse headache evolving from episodic migraine.

Fumal A, Laureys S, Di Clemente L, Boly M, Bohotin V, Vandenheede M, Coppola G, Salmon E, Kupers R, Schoenen J.

Brain 2006;129:543-50.

Familial basilar migraine associated with a new mutation in the ATP1A2 gene.

Ambrosini A, D'Onofrio M, Grieco GS, Di Mambro A, Montagna G, Fortini D, Nicoletti F, Nappi G, Sances G, Schoenen J, Buzzi MG, Santorelli FM, Pierelli F.

Neurology 2005;65:1826-8.

Nociceptive blink reflex and visual evoked potential habituations are correlated in migraine.

Di Clemente L, Coppola G, Magis D, Fumal A, De Pasqua V, Schoenen J.

Headache 2005;45:1388-93.

MR-spectroscopic imaging during visual stimulation in subgroups of migraine with aura.

Sandor PS, Dydak U, Schoenen J, Kollias SS, Hess K, Boesiger P, Agosti RM.

Cephalalgia 2005;25:507-18.

This page last modified: 06/04/2006