Magnetic device to ease migraine pain

What do we know already?

Scientists are beginning to make progress in finding out what causes migraine headaches that begin with an ‘aura’, an unusual sensation that happens before the headache begins. An aura can include seeing flashing lights or getting a ringing sound in your ears, or parts of your body going numb or tingling.

Doctors now think this type of migraine is caused by a wave of electrical charges sweeping across your brain cells. This wave excites the cells, and the wave of activity is followed by a phase called ‘cortical spreading depression’. Doctors think this may be what causes the pain of migraine.

They are now testing treatments to disrupt this wave of electrical charges in the hope this may calm or prevent pain. One treatment being tested is magnetic stimulation, using a device that emits magnetic pulses. The idea is to hold the device against the head when an aura begins, activating a magnetic pulse that may prevent the headache from happening, or from getting worse.

What does the new study say?
In the study, people who treated their migraine with aura using the magnetic device were more likely to be free from pain after two hours, compared with people who used a sham device that looked and sounded the same, but that didn’t emit a magnetic pulse. About 4 in 10 people who used the real device were free from pain, compared with 2 in 10 people who used the sham device. People who used the device didn’t mention any side effects.
People in the study were asked not to use painkillers until two hours after they'd used the device, in order to keep the study results clear. But most people who get migraines use painkillers, so it would be useful to see a study comparing the device with painkillers, or seeing if it worked better combined with painkillers.

How reliable are the findings?
The findings should be reliable. The study was done as a randomised controlled trial, which is the best way to find out whether a treatment works.
The researchers took a lot of trouble to ensure the 200 people in the study didn’t know whether they had the real or sham device. They were asked to guess whether they’d had the real or sham treatment, and the results showed they couldn’t tell the difference. This is important, because if people had guessed they were using the real device, they might have experienced a stronger placebo effect.

Where does the study come from?
The study was carried out by researchers from universities in the US. It was published in a medical journal called The Lancet.
The study was funded by the manufacturers of the device, and some of the researchers were employed by or held stock in the company. That doesn’t make the study unreliable, but means we should be aware that they have an interest in a positive outcome for the study.

What does this mean for me?
If you get migraines, you’ll be interested in any new treatment that may help. However, the study was relatively small, and the device has not yet been tested in comparison with painkillers. We don’t know if it works for people who have migraine headaches without aura.

Although there were no problems reported in this study, it needs to be tested among more people to ensure it doesn’t cause problems. Electrical stimulation of the brain could theoretically trigger seizures in some people. So, there will probably need to be more research before the device is available to the public.