Can nerve stimulation help prevent migraine?

Feb. 6, 2013 ? Wearing a nerve stimulator for 20 minutes a day may be a new option for migraine sufferers, according to new research published in the February 6, 2013, online issue of Neurology?, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The stimulator is placed on the forehead, and it delivers electrical stimulation to the supraorbital nerve.

For the study, 67 people who had an average of four migraine attacks per month were followed for one month with no treatment. Then they received either the stimulation 20 minutes a day for three months or sham stimulation, where they wore the device but the stimulation given was at levels too low to have any effect.

Those who received the stimulation had fewer days with migraine in the third month of treatment compared to the first month with no treatment. The number of days with migraine decreased from 6.9 days to 4.8 days per month. The number did not change for those who received the sham treatment.

The study also looked at the number of people who had 50 percent or higher reduction in the number of days with migraine in a month. That number was 38 percent for those who had the stimulation compared to 12 percent of those who received the sham treatment.

There were no side effects from the stimulation.

"These results are exciting, because the results were similar to those of drugs that are used to prevent migraine, but often those drugs have many side effects for people, and frequently the side effects are bad enough that people decide to quit taking the drug," said study author Jean Schoenen, MD, PhD, of Li?ge University in Belgium and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. The study was supported by the Walloon Region, Department of Economy, Employment and Research in Belgium.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Academy of Neurology.

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Journal Reference:

1. J. Schoenen, B. Vandersmissen, S. Jeangette, L. Herroelen, M. Vandenheede, P. Gerard, D. Magis. Migraine prevention with a supraorbital transcutaneous stimulator: A randomized controlled trial. Neurology, 2013; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182825055

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/_VNZLlGFGJo/130206162218.htm

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