Electrical stimulation that zaps away cluster headaches may also relieve the most common cause of vertigo, research suggests.
The non-invasive device, called GammaCore, is already available on the NHS in England to relieve cluster headaches and is also approved for ‘typical’ migraines in the US.
When placed against a patient’s neck mid-attack, electrical impulses are sent to the vagus nerve. This is thought to suppress activity in the area of the brain that triggers headaches.
Scientists from the University of Texas in Dallas set out to uncover GammaCore’s effectiveness in vestibular migraines (VM), which cause vertigo but not necessarily a headache.
Fourteen VM sufferers held the device against their neck for two minutes during an attack. This improved vertigo in 13 of the participants, with two experiencing no dizziness afterwards.
Electrical stimulation that zaps away cluster headaches may relieve the most common cause of vertigo. A non-invasive device, called GammaCore, (pictured being used) is available on the NHS to relieve cluster headaches and is also approved for ‘typical’ migraines in the US
‘There’s a huge need for effective treatments for vestibular migraine attacks,’ study author Dr Shin Beh said.
‘People with vestibular migraine do not always have headaches and when they do, they are often less severe than in typical migraine, so the pain-relieving drugs used for typical migraine often are not effective.
‘People can take drugs that suppress the vertigo or the nausea, but those drugs cause drowsiness and make it hard for people to go about their usual activities.’
Six million people in the UK are thought to suffer from migraines, with 190,000 attacks occurring every day, according to NICE.
And in the US, 12 per cent of people suffer from the agonising headaches, Migraine Research Foundation statistics show.
VMs cause the same symptoms as ‘typical’ migraines, but do not always trigger a pounding headache. Sufferers typically endure vertigo, imbalance, nausea and vomiting.
According to the Ménière’s Society, VMs affect around 10 per cent of migraine sufferers.
In the trial, 18 participants were studied, 14 of which tried GammaCore during a VM attack. The remaining four were treated for dizziness that persisted between episodes.
Results – published in the journal Neurology – revealed 13 of the 14 patients saw their vertigo improve after the stimulation. Five reported it easing by at least 50 per cent.
Vertigo severity fell from an average of 5.2 out of 10 before the treatment to 3.1 15 minutes after it ended.
Of the five participants who suffered headaches during their VM attack, all reported improvement after treatment.
Headache severity was reduced from an average of six to just 2.4 out of 10.
The four patients who were treated for dizziness between attacks reported no benefit.
The scientists believe this dizziness may require multiple treatments over time rather than just a single two-minute session.
The only side effect recorded was a mild pulling sensation on the neck muscles.
GammaCore stimulates the vagus nerve, an ‘important highway of communication between your brain and many parts of the body’, according to its manufacturer electroCore’s website.
This stimulation ‘is believed to help block the pain signals that cause migraines and cluster attacks’.
Speaking of the clinical significance of the results, Dr Beh said: ‘VM is the most common neurologic cause of vertigo and can greatly interfere with a person’s daily life.’
The researchers note their study was small, lacked a control group and was unblinded, with both the patients and scientists knowing the participants were receiving the treatment.
‘If these results can be confirmed with larger studies, not only could there finally be a treatment for vestibular migraine, such a treatment would also be easy to use,’ Dr Beh said.
No treatment is specifically approved for VM in the US or UK. Painkillers are often ineffective due to the condition not always triggering a headache.
Anti-nausea drugs and those that suppress the vestibular system, which controls balance, are often used but can cause drowsiness.
NHS England announced in May it will fund GammaCore for cluster headaches.