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Exploding head syndrome

MedGen UID:: 756269
•Concept ID:: C3163857
•: Disease or Syndrome

SNOMED CT:	Exploding head syndrome (449160007)

HPO:	HP:5200290

Definition

Sleep disorder in which one hears a loud noise or explosive crashing sound in their head. The sound is not real or heard by anyone else. The episode typically happens suddenly, either when beginning to fall asleep or when waking up during the night. [from HPO]

Term Hierarchy

GTR
MeSH

CClinical test, RResearch test, OOMIM, GGeneReviews, VClinVar

CROGVExploding head syndrome

Disease
- Disorder by Site
  - Disorder of nervous system
    - Disorders, Sleep Wake
      - Parasomnia
        Disturbance during transitions between sleep and wake states
        Exploding head syndrome

Professional guidelines

PubMed

Short-lasting headache syndromes and treatment options.

Rozen TD
Curr Pain Headache Rep 2004 Aug;8(4):268-73. doi: 10.1007/s11916-004-0006-z. PMID: 15228884

See all (1)

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

Non-REM Sleep Parasomnias.

Spector AR
Continuum (Minneap Minn) 2023 Aug 1;29(4):1117-1129. doi: 10.1212/CON.0000000000001261. PMID: 37590825

Co-activation of rhythms during alpha band oscillations as an interictal biomarker of exploding head syndrome.

Fotis Sakellariou D, Nesbitt AD, Higgins S, Beniczky S, Rosenzweig J, Drakatos P, Gildeh N, Murphy PB, Kent B, Williams AJ, Kryger M, Goadsby PJ, Leschziner GD, Rosenzweig I
Cephalalgia 2020 Aug;40(9):949-958. Epub 2020 Apr 10 doi: 10.1177/0333102420902705. PMID: 32276548 Free PMC Article

Exploding Head Syndrome in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit: Case Report and Literature Review.

Gillis K, Ng MC
Neurodiagn J 2017;57(2):133-138. doi: 10.1080/21646821.2017.1302264. PMID: 28622122

Auditory hallucinations.

Blom JD
Handb Clin Neurol 2015;129:433-55. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-62630-1.00024-X. PMID: 25726283

Exploding head syndrome.

Pearce JM
Lancet 1988 Jul 30;2(8605):270-1. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(88)92551-2. PMID: 2899248

See all (7)

Diagnosis

Non-REM Sleep Parasomnias.

Spector AR
Continuum (Minneap Minn) 2023 Aug 1;29(4):1117-1129. doi: 10.1212/CON.0000000000001261. PMID: 37590825

Unusual Headache Disorders.

Starling AJ
Continuum (Minneap Minn) 2018 Aug;24(4, Headache):1192-1208. doi: 10.1212/CON.0000000000000636. PMID: 30074556

Exploding Head Syndrome: a Review.

Ceriani CEJ, Nahas SJ
Curr Pain Headache Rep 2018 Jul 30;22(10):63. doi: 10.1007/s11916-018-0717-1. PMID: 30062616

Auditory hallucinations.

Blom JD
Handb Clin Neurol 2015;129:433-55. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-62630-1.00024-X. PMID: 25726283

Exploding head syndrome.

Sharpless BA
Sleep Med Rev 2014 Dec;18(6):489-93. Epub 2014 Mar 13 doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2014.03.001. PMID: 24703829

See all (27)

Therapy

Associations between exploding head syndrome and measures of sleep quality and experiences, dissociation, and well-being.

Denis D, Poerio GL, Derveeuw S, Badini I, Gregory AM
Sleep 2019 Feb 1;42(2) doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsy216. PMID: 30544141

Exploding Head Syndrome as Aura of Migraine with Brainstem Aura: A Case Report.

Rossi FH, Gonzalez E, Rossi EM, Tsakadze N
J Oral Facial Pain Headache 2018 Spring;32(2):e34-e36. doi: 10.11607/ofph.1950. PMID: 29694468

Characteristic symptoms and associated features of exploding head syndrome in undergraduates.

Sharpless BA
Cephalalgia 2018 Mar;38(3):595-599. Epub 2017 Apr 6 doi: 10.1177/0333102417702128. PMID: 28385085

Topiramate responsive exploding head syndrome.

Palikh GM, Vaughn BV
J Clin Sleep Med 2010 Aug 15;6(4):382-3. PMID: 20726288 Free PMC Article

The exploding head syndrome.

Green MW
Curr Pain Headache Rep 2001 Jun;5(3):279-80. doi: 10.1007/s11916-001-0043-9. PMID: 11309216

See all (9)

Prognosis

Two cases of exploding head syndrome documented by polysomnography that improved after treatment.

Nakayama M, Nakano N, Mihara T, Arima S, Sato S, Kabaya K, Suzuki M, Kitahara T
J Clin Sleep Med 2021 Jan 1;17(1):103-106. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.8790. PMID: 32959775 Free PMC Article

Exploding Head Syndrome as Aura of Migraine with Brainstem Aura: A Case Report.

Rossi FH, Gonzalez E, Rossi EM, Tsakadze N
J Oral Facial Pain Headache 2018 Spring;32(2):e34-e36. doi: 10.11607/ofph.1950. PMID: 29694468

Characteristic symptoms and associated features of exploding head syndrome in undergraduates.

Sharpless BA
Cephalalgia 2018 Mar;38(3):595-599. Epub 2017 Apr 6 doi: 10.1177/0333102417702128. PMID: 28385085

Exploding head syndrome: six new cases and review of the literature.

Frese A, Summ O, Evers S
Cephalalgia 2014 Sep;34(10):823-7. Epub 2014 Jun 6 doi: 10.1177/0333102414536059. PMID: 24907167

Exploding head syndrome.

Pearce JM
Lancet 1988 Jul 30;2(8605):270-1. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(88)92551-2. PMID: 2899248

See all (5)

Clinical prediction guides

Explosive sound without external stimuli following electroencephalography kappa rhythm fluctuation: A case report.

Sumi Y, Miyamoto T, Sudo S, Kadotani H, Ozeki Y, Imai M
Cephalalgia 2021 Nov;41(13):1396-1401. Epub 2021 Jun 23 doi: 10.1177/03331024211021773. PMID: 34162256

Exploding head syndrome: new observations.

Hayreh SS
Eur J Neurol 2020 Nov;27(11):2333-2335. Epub 2020 Aug 26 doi: 10.1111/ene.14464. PMID: 32757464

Exploding head syndrome: six new cases and review of the literature.

Frese A, Summ O, Evers S
Cephalalgia 2014 Sep;34(10):823-7. Epub 2014 Jun 6 doi: 10.1177/0333102414536059. PMID: 24907167

See all (3)