Magnetic stimulation with a single pulse has been shown to be effective in aborting a migraine attack with the eNeura Spring TMS device.
Repetitive magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the brain has been shown to relieve depression. A pilot study just published in the journal Brain Stimulation examined the effectiveness of repetitive magnetic brain stimulation for the prevention of migraine attacks.
German and Moldovan researchers conducted a double-blind, randomized controlled study in patients with episodic migraine. They compared real and sham stimulation in 60 patients. Participants received six treatment sessions over two weeks. The primary outcome measure was the number of patients whose migraine days dropped by 50% or more. The frequency and intensity of migraine attacks over a 12-week period were also assessed.
Real rTMS produced at least a 50% reduction in migraine days in 42%. This number was 26% in the sham group. The mean migraine days per month decreased from 7.6 to 4.3 days in the real rTMS group and from 6.2 to 4.3 days in the sham rTMS group. The reduction in migraine attack frequency was also higher in the real rTMS compared to the sham group. No serious adverse events were observed.
There are a couple of practical issues with this treatment approach. The rTMS equipment is already being used for depression, which in theory should make it easy to adapt for migraines. However, this treatment is time-consuming and expensive and is not likely to be covered by insurance. Another problem, which we also encountered in our study of transcranial direct current stimulation, is that there are many variables to consider. Placement of electrodes, the strength of stimulation, frequency, and duration of treatments are some of these variables.
