Background and Purpose-Activators of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-␥ (PPAR␥), a member of the PPAR family, increase levels of CuZn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) in cultured endothelium, suggesting a mechanism by which it may exert its protective effect within the brain. These properties raise the question of whether a PPAR␥ agonist may be neuroprotective in models of ischemia without reperfusion, in which oxidative injury is less prevalent. Methods-In 2 groups of rats, 90 minutes of middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion was followed by 1 day of reperfusion, with 1 group receiving pioglitazone (a PPAR␥ agonist) starting 72 hours before MCA occlusion (MCAO) and continuing through the day of occlusion, whereas the other group received vehicle only. In 2 comparable groups, the MCA was occluded permanently. One day after occlusion, the animals were tested neurologically and infarct volumes were calculated. In a separate group, rats were treated with pioglitazone or vehicle for 4 days. Tissue was obtained from the cortex and the striatum 2 hours into reperfusion after 90 minutes of MCAO, and the tissue was examined for CuZn-SOD by Western blot. Results-Results show a significant reduction in infarct size in the treated rats, with transient MCAO but not permanent MCAO. There was also an improvement in neurological score in the treated animals after transient MCAO.

Background and Purpose-Functional stimulation is accompanied by increases in regional cerebral blood flow which exceed metabolic demands under normal circumstances, but it is unknown whether functional stimulation is beneficial or detrimental in the setting of acute ischemia. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of forepaw stimulation during temporary focal ischemia on neurological and tissue outcome in a rat model of reversible focal forebrain ischemia. Methods-Sprague-Dawley rats were prepared for temporary occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery (MCA) using the filament model. Cerebral blood flow in the MCA territory was continuously monitored with a laser-Doppler flowmeter. Subdermal electrodes were inserted into the dorsal forepaw to stimulate either the forepaw ipsilateral or contralateral to the occlusion starting 1 minute into ischemia and continuing throughout the ischemic period. A neurological evaluation was undertaken after 24 hours of reperfusion, and animals were then euthanized and brain slices stained with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride. Cortical and striatal damage was measured separately. Results-The cortical and striatal infarct volumes were both significantly reduced in the contralateral stimulated group compared with the ipsilateral stimulated group (48% total reduction). There were no statistically significant differences in the neurobehavioral scores between the 2 groups, or in the laser-Doppler flow measurements from the MCA core. Conclusions-Functional stimulation of ischemic tissue may decrease tissue damage and improve outcome from stroke.Although the precise mechanism of this effect remains to be determined, functional stimulation could readily be translated to clinical practice. Key Words: cerebral ischemia, focal Ⅲ electrical stimulation therapy Ⅲ middle cerebral artery occlusion T here remains intense interest in discovering novel neuroprotective therapies for use in acute cerebral ischemia. Most recent research efforts have focused on compounds designed to interfere with the cascade of deleterious events that occur in tissue during and in the minutes and hours after cerebral ischemia. 1 Although many compounds have been investigated, to-date none have proven clinically useful in humans. 2,3 Nonpharmacological treatment techniques, such as hypothermia and hyperoxemia, have also been proposed, 4 but it remains to be seen how they transfer from laboratory to bedside. There are even studies suggesting that electrical stimulation of the cerebellar fastigial nucleus 5,6 before ischemia, or the spinal cord 7-9 weeks and months after the ischemic insult can reduce damage.Functional stimulation is accompanied by an increase in regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) in activated brain regions. We have shown previously in a rat model of graded cerebral ischemia that when CBF is reduced by as much as 90%, forepaw stimulation is still able to elicit an increase in blood flow in the somatosensory cortex, 10 and studies in stroke patients demonstrate that CBF can be activated...

International Headache Society published the International Classification of Headache Disorders 2nd Edition (ICHD‐II) in 2004. In response to this development, the “Clinical Practice Guideline for Chronic Headache” was compiled in Japan by the Study Group for Chronic Headache Clinical Practice Guideline Development. In 2006, the book entitled “The Clinical Practice Guideline for Chronic Headache (edited by Japanese Headache Society)” was published as the first edition. As triptans have become widely used, clinical practice for chronic headache has also been changed in Japan and there was a need to revise the first edition. Essentially based on the first edition, the new guideline has added the latest information and presented the concept of international standards of chronic headache care. This guideline included eight chapters and appendix: I. headache: general considerations, II. migraine, III. tension‐type headache, IV. trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, V. other primary headache disorders, VI. medication‐overuse headache, VII. headaches in children, and VIII. genetics. We have published the second version in Japanese in 2013, but 1 month after we published the original guideline, the International Classification of Headache Disorders 3rd Edition beta version (ICHD‐3beta) was published. We changed this guideline to the new version in English based on ICHD‐3beta. This guideline is the final product of the Committee's efforts in 2015, which was opened in the home page of the Japanese Headache Society. This manuscript was written to show the main part of this guideline as Recommendation of each CQ. Among 121 CQs, only five CQ was selected to present full sentences including not only Recommendation but also other parts.

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The purpose of this study was to clarify the kinetics of nitric oxide (NO) induced by either endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) or neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) after transient global forebrain ischemia. We investigated NO production and ischemic changes to hippocampal CA1 neurons in eNOS knockout (-/-) mice and nNOS (-/-) mice during cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. NO production was continuously monitored by in vivo microdialysis. Global forebrain ischemia was produced by occlusion of both common carotid arteries for 10 minutes. Levels of nitrite (NO(2)(-)) and nitrate (NO(3)(-)), as NO metabolites, in dialysate were determined using the Griess reaction. Two hours after the start of reperfusion, animals were perfused with 4% paraformaldehyde. Hippocampal CA1 neurons were divided into three phases (severely ischemic, moderately ischemic, surviving), and the ratio of surviving neurons to degenerated neurons was calculated as the survival rate. The relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was significantly higher in nNOS (-/-) mice than in control mice after reperfusion. Levels of NO(3)(-) were significantly lower in eNOS (-/-) mice and nNOS (-/-) mice than in control mice during ischemia and reperfusion. NO(3)(-) levels were significantly lower in nNOS (-/-) mice than in eNOS (-/-) mice after the start of reperfusion. Survival rate tended to be higher in nNOS (-/-) mice than in control mice, but not significantly. These in vivo data suggest that NO production in the striatum after reperfusion is closely related to activities of both nNOS and eNOS, and is mainly related to nNOS following reperfusion.