A treatment for chronic migraines which places implants that emit electrical pulses under the skin has recently been tested on the first patient at the Erasmus University Medical Centre (Erasmus MC) in Rotterdam. 

New therapy to treat migraines developed in the Netherlands

Developed by Dutch company Salvia BioElectronics, the new therapy involves inserting two thin implants, one under the skin near the forehead and one at the back of the head. The implants emit gentle electrical pulses to the nerves involved in migraines reducing the number of migraines that occur and how intense they are - this technology is called neuromodulation.

Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and cluster headaches have already been successfully treated with this technology. “We would like to investigate whether neuromodulation also works in migraine patients,” Professor of Anesthesiology Frank Huygen of the Erasmus MC said in a press release.

“Our nervous system uses electrical signals to control how our body moves, feels and functions,” explained Huygen. “With migraines, these signals can become unbalanced. Neuromodulation may help to correct this disruption and restore the balance.” Huygen performed the first procedure for the treatment on one of his patients at Erasmus MC. The patient can then push a button on a portable device which initiates the implants. 

Successful therapy study could improve patient’s lives

The new treatment has been under development at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven since 2017 with the initial pilot study showing positive results. Now, the new patient will be a part of a larger study that is also being conducted at the St. Antonius Hospital in Utrecht / Nieuwegein and hospitals in Belgium and Australia. 

If the study is successful, doctors will be able to prescribe the new therapy to patients with chronic migraines that don’t respond to other treatments. According to Erasmus MC, many young adults suffer from migraines, especially women.