Vagus nerve stimulation is being used to treat various disorders. MicroTransponder is using the technology with an implantable device to treat tinnitus and stroke victims, and electroCore is finding success using its non-invasive handheld device to treat chronic migraines as well as other conditions.
A study has been published in the Journal of Headache and Pain, which was led by Dr. Thomas Kinfe of the University of Bonn. It found that using electroCore’s hand-held gammaCore non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) device for two minutes twice a day reduced headache intensity drastically. (The device, in clinical trial phase, has not yet been approved by the FDA or put on the market in the U.S.).
Within the study, 20 patients used the gammaCore device, which is placed on the neck over the vagus nerve. The patients had reportedly not found relief from other medication treatment previously. Fifty percent of those who used the device fell into the class of chronic migraineurs (migraines on 15 or more days per month), with the remaining being episodic (less than 15 days per month).
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They found that after using the device, the chronic patients saw a decrease in headache occurrence and intensity by a third, and for the episodic it went down by half. The study also indicated that things like negative experiences like depression or sleep loss, often correlated with frequent migraines, also improved.
