Nitric oxide donors are known to produce headache in healthy as well as migraine subjects, and to induce extracephalic cutaneous hypersensitivity in rodents. However, little is known on the effect of nitric oxide donors on cephalic cutaneous sensitivity. Combining behavioral, immunohistochemical, and in vivo electrophysiological approaches, this study investigated the effect of systemic administration of the nitric oxide donor, isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN), on cephalic and extracephalic cutaneous sensitivity and on neuronal activation within the medullary dorsal horn (MDH) in the rat. Systemic administration of ISDN increased selectively the first phase and interphase of the facial formalin test, but had no effect on the hindpaw formalin one. Monitoring neuronal activity within the MDH with phospho-ERK1/2 immunoreactivity revealed that ISDN alone did not activate MDH neurons, but significantly increased the number of formalin-evoked phospho-ERK1/2-immunoreactive cells in the ipsilateral, but not contralateral, MDH. Using in vivo electrophysiological unit recordings, we show that ISDN administration never affected the spontaneous activity of trigeminal wide dynamic range neurons, but, facilitated C-fiber-evoked responses in half the neurons tested. This research demonstrates that a nitric oxide donor, isosorbide dinitrate, induces selectively cephalic hyperalgesia that arises as a consequence of central sensitization in pain pathways that subserve meningeal nociception. This model better mimics the clinical condition and offers another possibility of studying the role of nitric oxide donor in the physiopathology of headache. (C) 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.