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Shining a spotlight on headaches

Many headaches are worsened by light exposure. A new study uses a combination of human and rat experiments to suggest that a previously unknown retinal input to the thalamus may be important in such photophobia.

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Figure 1: The proposed mechanism of light exacerbation of headaches through the convergence of the retinal input and nociceptive trigeminal afferents on the same thalamic projection neurons in the posterior group of the thalamus (Po).

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Correspondence to Jeremy S H Taylor.

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Molnár, Z., Taylor, J. Shining a spotlight on headaches. Nat Neurosci 13, 150–151 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0210-150

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