Magnetic pulse device offers hope for migraine

In tests, the machine delivered pain relief for up to 48 hours with no noticeable side effects.

The technique is known as single-pulse transcranial magnetic

stimulation (sTMS).

Researchers used a portable device to apply magnetic pulses to the scalps of volunteer patients suffering attacks of migraine with aura. This type of migraine is characterised by neurological "aura" effects such as lights or lines in front of the eyes, visual "blank spots", and tingling or numbness. It affects about 20 per cent to 30 per cent of patients.

A group of 201 patients were randomly assigned either to receive treatment with a portable sTMS device, or a "sham" machine that produced no magnetic pulse.

Of the 164 patients who treated at least one attack, 39 per cent from the sTMS group were pain free after two hours compared with 22 per cent of the "sham" group.

TMS works by changing the pattern of firing of neurons in the brain. Since its discovery in 1985, it has been used for brain mapping and diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Previous small studies had suggested that sTMS can reduce migraine pain.

However, these trials used large expensive devices not suitable for use outside a clinic.

Findings from the new study, led by Dr Richard Lipton, from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, are reported today in the journal The Lancet Neurology.