Migraine news this week: October 1

Catch up on this week's headlines - including our biggest study ever!

The first MRF Impact Award: Project Status Migrainosus

This week, we announced the recipient of the first MRF Impact Award. Project Status Migainosus is a 3-year, $250,000 research project to improve the treatment of status migrainosus, a severe migraine that lasts longer than 3 days and isn't stopped with typical abortive medications.

This critical study could have an enormous impact: faster, personalized treatment for all status migrainosus patients! We're excited to fund Project Status Migainosus and proud to work with Dr. Rami Burstein and Dr. Brian Grosberg, two of the world's top migraine experts.

The drug industry might finally have an answer for migraines

This is a realistic update in Stat News on the new CGRP drugs in trials for migraine prevention. The author reports that the drugs only appear to help about half of sufferers reduce their headache days. The drugs will not be a cure for migraine, and we need to continue to fund research to find better treatments for all sufferers.

migraine-art-collectionThe Migraine Art Collection

This is a powerful collection of art created by migraine sufferers. Thanks to Migraine Action in the UK, the pieces are freely available to download and use.







Neuromodulation Devices Look Promising for Migraine Prevention

MRF Medical Advisory Board member Dr. Andrew Charles gives you the details on the Cefaly, Spring TMS, and GammaCore devices. These non-invasive neuromodulation therapies use electricity to treat migraines in the brain. Companies are still researching whether they're effective, but some sufferers have reported improvements.

Combined Pharmacologic and Behavioral Approach May Improve Migraine Management

Dr. Dawn Buse spoke about behavioral treatments for migraine at the recent PainWeek conference. She discussed research that found that the most effective way to treat migraine is to combine medication and behavior therapies, rather than using one or the other. Some of the most common of these therapies are CBT, biofeedback, and relaxation training. This information should guide doctors treating migraine.

Sound Waves: An Rx for High Blood Pressure, Migraine?

HealthDay News reported on a new sound therapy that shows promise for treating migraine. Migraine researchers played tones in patients' ears over 16 different sessions. The tones were based on electrical signals in their brains. 2 weeks after the sessions, sufferers reported improvements in insomnia, mood, and headaches. More research will determine if this is a new biofeedback method to add to the range of migraine treatments.

New Headaches Late in Pregnancy? Get Checked!

A recent article urged women who start getting headaches late in pregnancy to get brain scans. While early pregnancy headaches are normal and do not require scans, headaches starting in late pregnancy could have underlying causes that put a woman at risk.