Discovering Brain and Muscle Treatment Targets for Post-Traumatic Headache

Katrina Maluf

July 19, 2020
Dr. Maluf and students adjusting a device attached to another student's head
Dr. Maluf shows students in the Doctoral of Physical Therapy Program how to measure multidirectional neck strength in the Applied Sensorimotor Laboratory at SDSU.
Tiana McMann and Nicole Whiteley applying pressure to a man's head
Research assistants Tiana McMann (left) and Nicole Whiteley (right) assess pressure pain thresholds in the temporalis muscle

Exercise and Nutritional Sciences

Dr. Maluf (left) and research assistant Mike Walsh (right) discuss functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain and neck.

Nearly 1.7 million individuals sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) requiring medical attention every year in the U.S. Nearly half of those who sustain a TBI report residual disability from post-concussive symptoms that can persist for years after injury. Post-traumatic headache (PTH) is the most common and debilitating of these symptoms.

Dr. Katrina Maluf and colleagues at UCSD and the Veteran’s Administration San Diego Healthcare System are using advanced quantitative sensory testing and magnetic resonance imaging techniques to identify brain and muscle biomarkers of PTH and chronic neck pain in veterans with mild TBI. This work will improve the diagnosis and treatment of PTH to reduce the burden of chronic pain in military service members, veterans, athletes, and others impacted by TBI.

Dr. Maluf and Mike Walsh standing on opposite sides of an MRI
Dr. Maluf (left) and research assistant Mike Walsh (right) discuss functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain and neck.

This research is supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (1R21NS109852-01A1).

Applied Sensorimotor Research Laboratory website

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