Portable Device Zaps Away Migraine Pain

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[newsmax.com(Newsmax Health)]

 

Portable Device Zaps Away Migraine Pain

A novel electronic device designed to & ldquo;zap & rdquo; away migraine

pain before it starts has proven to be the next form of relief for those

suffering from the debilitating disease, according to a study conducted

at The Ohio State University Medical Center.

 

Results of the study, presented TODAY (6/27) at the annual American

Headache Society meeting in Boston, found that the experimental device

is safe and effective in eliminating headaches when administered during

the onset of the migraine.

 

With one in eight Americans suffering from chronic migraines, Dr. Yousef

Mohammad, a neurologist and principal investigator of the study at Ohio

State & rsquo;s Medical Center, says the study & rsquo;s results are

promising given that only 50 to 60 percent of migraine patients respond

to traditional migraine drug treatments.

 

The noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulator (TMS) device interrupts

the aura phase of the migraine, often described as electrical storms in

the brain, before they lead to headaches. Migraine sufferers often

describe & ldquo;seeing & rdquo; showers of shooting stars, zigzagging

lines and flashing lights, and experiencing loss of vision, weakness,

tingling or confusion, followed by intense throbbing head pain, nausea

and vomiting.

 

Previous studies, conducted at Ohio State, using a heavy and bulky TMS

device, reduced headache pain. To expedite treatment at home, a portable

hand-held device was developed and tested.

 

" Stimulation with magnetic pulses from the portable TMS device proved

effective for the migraine patients, " said Mohammad. " Because of the

lack of adverse events in this trial and the established safety of the

TMS device, this is a promising treatment for migraines with aura. This

sets the stage for future studies in migraines without aura. "

 

The TMS device sends a strong electric current through a metal coil,

which creates an intense magnetic field for about one millisecond. This

magnetic pulse, when held against a person's head, creates an electric

current in the neurons of the brain, interrupting the aura before it

results in a throbbing headache.

 

" The device's pulses are painless and safe, " Mohammad said. " Since

almost all migraine drugs have some side effects, and patients are prone

to addiction from narcotics, or developing headaches from frequent use

of over-the-counter medication, the TMS device holds great promise for

migraine sufferers. "

 

Of the 164 patients involved in the multi-center, randomized clinical

trial receiving TMS treatment, 39 percent were pain free at the two-hour

post-treatment point, compared to 22 percent in the group receiving

& ldquo;sham & rdquo; pulses. There were no differences reported related to

adverse reactions between the two groups.

 

It was previously believed that migraine headaches start with vascular

constriction, which results in an aura, followed by vascular dilation

that will lead to a throbbing headache. However, in the late

1990 & rsquo;s it was suggested that neuronal electrical

hyperexcitablility resulted in a throbbing headache. This new

understanding of the migraine mechanism assisted in the development of

the TMS device.