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Trigeminal Nerve Root Demyelination Not Seen in Six Horses Diagnosed with Trigeminal-Mediated Headshaking.
Abstract: Trigeminal-mediated headshaking is an idiopathic neuropathic facial pain syndrome in horses. There are clinical similarities to trigeminal neuralgia, a neuropathic facial pain syndrome in man, which is usually caused by demyelination of trigeminal sensory fibers within either the nerve root or, less commonly, the brainstem. Our hypothesis was that the neuropathological substrate of headshaking in horses is similar to that of trigeminal neuralgia in man. Trigeminal nerves, nerve roots, ganglia, infraorbital, and caudal nasal nerves from horse abattoir specimens and from horses euthanized due to trigeminal-mediated headshaking were removed, fixed, and processed for histological assessment by a veterinary pathologist and a neuropathologist with particular experience of trigeminal neuralgia histology. No histological differences were detected between samples from horses with headshaking and those from normal horses. These results suggest that trigeminal-mediated headshaking may have a different pathological substrate from trigeminal neuralgia in man.
Publication Date: 2017-05-15 PubMed ID: 28555189PubMed Central: PMC5431280DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2017.00072Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
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This research investigates the possible causes of Trigeminal-mediated headshaking in horses, a condition that causes the animal distress due to uncontrolled head movements. The authors tested the hypothesis that this might be caused by the same mechanisms as Trigeminal neuralgia in humans, a condition where nerve damage results in severe facial pain. However, the absence of similar nerve damage in the horses examined suggests that different factors might be at play in their condition.
Hypothesis and Testing
- The researchers originally hypothesized that the cause of Trigeminal-mediated headshaking in horses could be similar to that of Trigeminal neuralgia in humans. Trigeminal neuralgia is a facial pain syndrome usually caused by the demyelination of trigeminal sensory fibers. The demyelination, or loss of the protective covering of nerve fibers, can occur either in the nerve root or within the brainstem.
- To test this theory, they collected and examined trigeminal nerves, nerve roots, ganglia, infraorbital, and caudal nasal nerves from horses which were either euthanized due to this condition or were taken from an abattoir.
- These samples were processed and examined histologically by a veterinary pathologist and a neuropathologist with expertise in trigeminal neuralgia.
Findings
- The results showed that there were no histological differences between the nerve samples collected from the afflicted horses and those from healthy ones.
- This lack of detectable damage or changes to the nerves suggests that demyelination, the suspected cause of Trigeminal neuralgia in humans, is not the underlying cause of Trigeminal-mediated headshaking in horses.
Conclusion
- The findings of this study suggest that Trigeminal-mediated headshaking must have a different pathological basis than Trigeminal neuralgia in humans.
- This invalidates the initial hypothesis and indicates that further research is necessary to identify the true cause of this condition in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Roberts VL, Fews D, McNamara JM, Love S.
(2017).
Trigeminal Nerve Root Demyelination Not Seen in Six Horses Diagnosed with Trigeminal-Mediated Headshaking.
Front Vet Sci, 4, 72.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2017.00072 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- School of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, Somerset, UK.
- School of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, Somerset, UK.
- Centre for Comparative and Clinical Anatomy, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
- Department of Neuropathology, University of Bristol Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Southmead Hospital, Bristol, UK.
References
This article includes 18 references
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Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- Heun F, Delarocque J, Feige K, Hellige M. Trigeminal Nerve Asymmetry in Horses With Idiopathic Trigeminal-Mediated Headshaking: A Retrospective Case-Control Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Sep-Oct;39(5):e70196.
- Franzen V, Gruber NA, Klußmann S, Schoster A, May A. Effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on trigeminal-mediated headshaking in 17 horses. J Vet Intern Med 2024 Sep-Oct;38(5):2758-2765.
- Becker R, Haenssgen K, Precht C, Khoma OZ, Hlushchuk R, Koch C, Kaessmeyer S, de Preux M. An anatomical study of the subarachnoid space surrounding the trigeminal ganglion in horses-in preparation for a controlled glycerol rhizotomy in equids. Front Vet Sci 2024;11:1424890.
- Nessler JN, Delarocque J, Kloock T, Twele L, Neudeck S, Meyerhoff N, Riese F, Cavalleri JV, Tipold A, Feige K, Niebuhr T. Sensory nerve conduction stimulus threshold measurements of the infraorbital nerve and its applicability as a diagnostic tool in horses with trigeminal-mediated headshaking. BMC Vet Res 2024 May 16;20(1):201.
- Zamith Cunha R, Semprini A, Salamanca G, Gobbo F, Morini M, Pickles KJ, Roberts V, Chiocchetti R. Expression of Cannabinoid Receptors in the Trigeminal Ganglion of the Horse. Int J Mol Sci 2023 Nov 3;24(21).
- Roberts VLH, Bailey M, Patel NK. The safety and efficacy of neuromodulation using percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for the management of trigeminal-mediated headshaking in 168 horses. Equine Vet J 2020 Mar;52(2):238-243.
- Sheldon SA, Aleman M, Costa LRR, Santoyo AC, Howey Q, Madigan JE. Intravenous infusion of magnesium sulfate and its effect on horses with trigeminal-mediated headshaking. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Mar;33(2):923-932.
- Roberts V. Trigeminal-mediated headshaking in horses: prevalence, impact, and management strategies. Vet Med (Auckl) 2019;10:1-8.
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