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Autonomic symptoms may be local and general clinical manifestations of both epilepsy and migraine caused by the dysfunction of brain areas best known as the central autonomic network. Despite their prevalence, autonomic signs are often misdiagnosed and their treatment is undervalued. This review aims to describe the autonomic manifestations reported during seizures and migraineur attacks according to their presentation, focusing on the role of the central autonomic network (CAN) and on the parasympathetic outflow that often-induced cranial autonomic symptoms (CAS) during migraineur attacks. Further, our purpose is to analyze the pathophysiological meanings and whether their presence influences the prognosis and therapy of these disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the DSM-5, neurodevelopmental disorders represent a group of heterogeneous conditions, with onset during the developmental period, characterized by an alteration of communication and social skills, learning, adaptive behavior, executive functions, and psychomotor skills. These deficits determine an impairment of personal, social, scholastic, or occupational functioning. Neurodevelopmental disorders are characterized by an increased incidence and a multifactorial etiology, including genetic and environmental components. Data largely explain the role of genetic and environmental factors, also through epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation and miRNA. Despite genetic factors, nutritional factors also play a significant role in the pathophysiology of these disorders, both in the prenatal and postnatal period, underscoring that the control of modifiable factors could decrease the incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders. The preventive role of nutrition is widely studied as regards many chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer, but actually we also know the effects of nutrition on embryonic brain development and the influence of prenatal and preconceptional nutrition in predisposition to various pathologies. These factors are not limited only to a correct caloric intake and a good BMI, but rather to an adequate and balanced intake of macro and micronutrients, the type of diet, and other elements such as exposure to heavy metals. This review represents an analysis of the literature as regards the physiopathological mechanisms by which food influences our state of health, especially in the age of development (from birth to adolescence), through prenatal and preconceptional changes, underlying how controlling these nutritional factors should improve mothers' nutritional state to significantly reduce the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring. We searched key words such as "maternal nutrition and neurodevelopmental disorders" on Pubmed and Google Scholar, selecting the main reviews and excluding individual cases. Therefore, nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics teach us the importance of personalized nutrition for good health. So future perspectives may include well-established reference values in order to determine the correct nutritional intake of mothers through food and integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The orofacial pain syndromes (OFPs) are a heterogeneous group of syndromes characterized by painful attacks involving the orofacial structures. They may be summarily subdivided into two great categories: (1) orofacial pain mainly attributed to dental disorders such as dentoalveolar and myofascial orofacial pain or temporomandibular joint (TM) pain; (2) orofacial pain mainly attributed to non-dental pain as neuralgias, facial localization of primary headaches or idiopathic orofacial pain. The second group is uncommon, often described by single case reports, can often show overlapping symptoms with the first group, and represents a clinical challenge, carrying the risk of undervaluation and possibly invasive odontoiatric treatment. We aimed to describe a clinical pediatric series of non-dental orofacial pain and better to underline some topographic and clinical features associated with them. We retrospectively collected the data of children admitted to our headache centers (Bari, Palermo, Torino) from 2017 to 2021. Our inclusion criterion was the presence of non-dental orofacial pain following the topographic criteria of 3° International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3), and exclusion criteria included the pain syndromes attributed to the dental disorders and pain syndromes due to the secondary etiologies Results. Our sample comprised 43 subjects (23/20 M/F, in the range of ages 5–17). We classified them int: 23 primary headaches involving the facial territory during attacks, 2 facial trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, 1 facial primary stabbing headache, 1 facial linear headache, 6 trochlear migraines, 1 orbital migraine 3 red ear syndrome and 6 atypical facial pain. All patients described debilitating pain for intensity (moderate/severe), 31 children had episodic attacks, and 12 had continuous pain. Almost all received drugs for acute treatment (less than 50% were satisfied), and some received non-pharmacological treatment associated with drug therapy Conclusion. Although rare OFP can occur in pediatric age, it can be debilitating if unrecognized and untreated, affecting the psychophysical well-being of young patients. We highlight the specific characteristics of the disorder for a more correct and earlier identification during the diagnostic process, already difficult in pediatric age, and to define the approach and possible treatment to prevent negative outcomes in adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]