Instrumental investigations in primary headache. An updated review and new perspectives

While some instrumental techniques are clearly useful for differentiating symptomatic forms from primary headache, the usefulness of certain other techniques, neurophysiological investigations in particular, in clinical practice is still debated. A Task Force of the European Federation of Neurological Societies has recently proposed guidelines and recommendations on the use of neurophysiological tests and neuroimaging procedures in non-acute headache. This article reviews many of the most important literature references relevant to this topic and looks at the prospects for future research.