[Cluster headache: clinical and physiopathogenetic aspects]

The authors show the clinical characteristics of the cluster headache and consider the main physiopathogenetic hypothesis that could explain the polyhedric symptomatology of this kind of headache. They point out at first the hypothesis of an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system, sympathetic-parasympathetic, then they discuss about the theory of a disregulation of nociceptive system proposed by Sicuteri, at the end they hypothesize an alteration at the superior integrative level, probably the hypothalamic-limbic one.