Aim: Evaluate the efficacy and safety of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation for migraine prevention.

Methods: After completing a 4-week diary run-in period, adults who had migraine with or without aura were randomly assigned to receive active non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation or sham therapy during a 12-week double-blind period.

Results: Of 336 enrolled participants, 113 (active, n = 56; sham, n = 57) completed ≥70 days of the double-blind period and were ≥66% adherent with treatment, comprising the prespecified modified intention-to-treat population. The COVID-19 pandemic led to early trial termination, and the population was ∼60% smaller than the statistical target for full power. Mean reduction in monthly migraine days (primary endpoint) was 3.12 for the active group and 2.29 days for the sham group (difference, -0.83;  = 0.2329). Responder rate (i.e. the percentage of participants with a ≥50% reduction in migraine days) was greater in the active group (44.87%) than the sham group (26.81%;  = 0.0481). Prespecified subgroup analysis suggested that participants with aura responded preferentially. No serious device-related adverse events were reported.

Conclusions: These results suggest clinical utility of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation for migraine prevention, particularly for patients who have migraine with aura, and reinforce the well-established safety and tolerability profile of this therapy. ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03716505).

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/03331024211068813DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

non-invasive vagus
16
vagus nerve
16
nerve stimulation
16
stimulation migraine
8
migraine aura
8
migraine days
8
active group
8
sham group
8
migraine
7
non-invasive
4

Similar Publications

The role of autonomic nervous system (ANS) modulation in chronic neck pain remains elusive. Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (t-VNS) provides a novel, non-invasive means of potentially mitigating chronic neck pain. This study aimed to assess the effects of ANS modulation on heart rate variability (HRV), pain perception, and neck disability.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Impaired insight into illness occurs in up to 98% of patients with schizophrenia, depending on the stage of illness, and leads to negative clinical outcomes. Previous neuroimaging studies suggest that impaired insight in patients with schizophrenia may be related to structural and functional anomalies in frontoparietal brain regions. To date, limited studies have investigated the association between regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) and impaired insight in schizophrenia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) offers a non-invasive method to enhance noradrenergic neurotransmission in the human brain, thereby increasing cognitive control. Here, we investigate if changes in cognitive control induced by tVNS are mediated through locus coeruleus-induced modifications of neural activity in the anterior cingulate cortex. Young healthy participants engaged in a simple cognitive control task focusing on response inhibition and a more complex task that involved both response inhibition and working memory, inside a magnetic resonance imaging scanner.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Neuromodulation for Headache Management in Pregnancy.

Curr Pain Headache Rep

January 2025

Department of Neurology - Headache Division, University of Miami Health, University of Miami School of Medicine, 1120 NW 14th Street, 13th Floor, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.

Purpose Of Review: Management of primary headache disorders during pregnancy is limited due to known teratogenicity or unknown safety of many currently available pharmaceutical therapies. Here, we explore the safety and efficacy of non-invasive neuromodulatory devices as another treatment modality for pregnant patients.

Recent Findings: There are six FDA-cleared, non-invasive neuromodulatory devices currently available for the management of headache that include remote electrical neuromodulation (REN), noninvasive vagal nerve stimulation (nVNS), external trigeminal nerve stimulation (eTNS), single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (sTMS), and external concurrent occipital and trigeminal neurostimulation (eCOT-NS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Transcutaneous Non-Invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation: Changing the Paradigm for Stroke and Atrial Fibrillation Therapies?

Biomolecules

November 2024

Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care, Emergency and Pain Medicine, Cerebrovascular Sciences and Neuromodulation, Würzburg University, 97080 Würzburg, Germany.

A new therapeutic approach, known as neuromodulation therapy-which encompasses a variety of interventional techniques meant to alter the nervous system in order to achieve therapeutic effects-has emerged in recent years as a result of advancements in neuroscience. Currently used methods for neuromodulation include direct and indirect approaches, as well as invasive and non-invasive interventions. For instance, the two primary methods of stimulating the vagus nerve (VN) are invasive VN stimulation (iVNS) and transcutaneous VN stimulation (tVNS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!