Treat migraine with electrical impulses

Migraine: With current impulses for headache attacks

02/07/2013

Current impulses can apparently bring relief in headache attacks such as migraine and cluster headaches. A research team led by Jean Schoenen of the Belgian University of Liège has investigated the effect of current impulse therapy in migraine patients and has shown a very promising effect of this new treatment method. Their results have the scientists in the trade magazine „Neurology“ released.

Migraine is a special form of headache that is often associated not only with massive pain but also with so-called aura symptoms. Those affected are sensitive to light and noise, feel numbness or tingling in the limbs, and suffer from dizziness, blurred vision, nausea and vomiting. Depending on the intensity of the migraine attacks, these symptoms can occur in different combinations and forms. According to the information provided by the German Migraine and Headache Society (DMKG) „worldwide epidemiological data that, depending on the definition used, a minority of 0.2 to 1.5 percent of the population suffers from chronic migraine.“ Women are affected four times more often than men. Often the migraine sufferers swallow numerous medications to help bring the plaguing headache reasonably under control. Here, the therapy with current impulses could represent a valuable alternative, so the assessment of the Belgian scientists.

Chronic migraine: 15 days a month with headache
During the migraine attacks, those affected are often hardly fit for everyday use. They need strict rest, with the thrusts at worst can go over days. According to the German Migraine and Headache Society, chronic migraine is referred to as having a headache for at least 15 days per month for three consecutive months, with migraine-like headaches lasting more than seven days. At the same time, drug overuse and other causes of headaches must be ruled out, explains the DMKG. Those concerned could possibly be helped with the current impulse therapy, so the assessment of the Belgian researchers to Jean Schoenen. In her study, the number of pain attacks by stimulating the brain with current pulses was significantly reduced. What this effect is based on, but so far unclear.

Current pulses reduce the number of migraine attacks
As part of their study, neurologists at the University of Liège examined the effect of the current impulse therapy in 67 patients from five different Belgian clinics who suffered from migraines for at least two days each month. Over a period of three months, the subjects were put on the forehead for twenty minutes a day, which stimulated the nerves behind the forehead in half of the participants with current impulses. The other subjects were only given the feeling that they receive current impulses. They served as a control group. According to the researchers, the number of days with migraine attacks in the experimental group decreased from an average of 6.9 days in the first month of treatment to an average of 4.8 days after the end of the trial period after three months of treatment. In the control group, however, the researchers were unable to detect a reduction in migraine frequency.

Current impulses as effective as migraine medications and without side effects
Stimulation by current pulses „is as effective and safe as existing preventive therapies for migraine“, the scientists report. The therapeutic effect is at least equal to that of preventive migraine drugs and non-drug antimigraine treatments. The current impulse therapy comes out completely without side effects. Whether the daily 20-minute pulse stimulation is an alternative to medication for chronic migraine, but still needs to be explored. Because the subjects suffered from migraine only two days a month and not seven days or more. In addition, it remains open to what extent the current pulses contribute to the prevention of headache attacks. Here, there is evidence from previous studies in healthy subjects that the stimulation of the frontal nerves (supraorbital nerve and supratrochlear nerve) has a calming effect, the researchers report. Apparently, the central nervous system is influenced by the current impulse therapy. In Germany, electrical impulses are already being used for migraine treatment. However, this requires surgery because the electrodes for the so-called „occipital nerve stimulation“ (ONS) under the skin in the neck. There they should stimulate the nerves with current impulses. An evaluation of the previous research in the field of ONS had shown in the past year that this method can successfully counteract chronic headaches and migraines.

Current impulses for the treatment of chronic migraine?
The German Migraine and Headache Society comes to the conclusion that in the treatment of chronic migraine, the current pulse therapy is quite a worthy alternative, especially since the current procedure, no surgery to insert the electrodes is required. Thus, the threshold for use is lower, explained DMKG President Andreas Straube. However, there is still some uncertainty due to the limited data available. So far, it has been shown that „multimodal therapy concepts have the best chance of success“, so the position of the DMKG. However, the treatment of chronic migraine is urgently needed „in the hands of a specialist familiar with the clinical picture.“ (Fp)

Also read:
Health: Many causes of migraine
Neck and headaches indicate migraine
Different symptoms of migraine