Magnetic Ray Gun Zaps Migraine Pain

A new experimental device dubbed "the migraine zapper” has been found to be safe and effective in eliminating headaches when administered during the onset of the migraine, and has no side effects, according to a new study.

Researchers at Ohio State University (OSU, Columbus, USA) developed the noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulator (TMS) device, which interrupts the aura phase of the migraine--often described as electrical storms in the brain-- by sending a magnetic pulse through the brain before it leads to headaches. 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 study results showed that of the 164 patients involved in a multi-center, randomized clinical trial receiving TMS treatment, 39% were pain free at the two-hour post-treatment point, compared to 22% in the group receiving sham pulses. There were no differences reported related to adverse reactions between the two groups.
The study was presented at the annual American Headache Society (AHS) meeting, held during June 2008 in Boston (MA, USA).

"Stimulation with magnetic pulses from the portable TMS device proved effective for the migraine patients,” said principal investigator Yousef Mohammad, M.D., a neurologist at OSU Medical Center. "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.”

"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,” added Dr. Mohammad.

Migraine headaches were previously believed to start with vascular constriction, which results in an aura, followed by vascular dilation that leads to a throbbing headache. However, in the late 1990's it was suggested alternatively that neuronal electrical hyper-excitability resulted in a throbbing headache. This new understanding of the migraine mechanism assisted in the development of the TMS device.


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