Electronic device to ‘zap’ migraines

AN electronic device designed to “zap” migraine pain before it starts has been unveiled in the US.

The hand-held device is placed at the back of the head and creates an electromagnetic field which interrupts the “aura phase” of the migraine — often described as electrical storms in the brain — before it causes headaches.

Dr Yousef Mohammad, a neurologist at Ohio State University Medical Centre, said patients reported a significant reduction in nausea and noise and light sensitivity after the treatment.

Auras are neural disturbances that signal the onset of migraine headaches.

Sufferers often describe seeing flashing lights, experiencing weakness and confusion, followed by intense throbbing head pain, nausea and vomiting.

The device, called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), sends a strong electric current through a metal coil, which creates an intense magnetic field for about a millisecond.

When the pulse is held against a person’s head it creates an electric current in the neurons of the brain which interrupts the aura.

“The device’s pulses are painless. The patients have felt a little pressure, but that’s all,” said Dr Mohammad, who presented the study at a meeting of the American Headache Society.

The device is made by a Californian company called Neuralieve.