Migraine patients wanted for pioneering clinical trial

People who suffer from migraines are being invited to take part in a clinical trial that is being pioneered in Cumbria.

Current treatments do not always work, and can cause side effects.

The new BrainCool-Migraine trial will look at how effective a treatment called ‘intra-nasal evaporative cooling’ is at reducing the headache pain often associated with migraines.

Anyone who is interested in getting involved can contact the clinical team by emailing: research@cumbria.nhs.uk, or calling 07920 288244 / 01228 603145.

• How does it work?

Two small cannulas are used to introduce cooling into the passageways of the nose.

It is believed this cooling may cause blood vessels surrounding the brain to narrow, lessening the pain of a migraine.

The cooling may also directly affect cell-signalling in the brain, which may stop a migraine headache.

Participants who meet the criteria for the study will be asked to complete a questionnaire relating to their migraines for a month to further assess if they can receive the new treatment.

After this period, suitable participants will be given either a ‘BrainCool’ device or a ‘dummy’ device (placebo) for use during their next three migraines and will be asked to record some more information.

• Who can get involved?

People who have had one to fifteen migraines a month (episodic migraine) for over a year and have had no changes to their migraine medication in the last three months, are eligible for the clinical trial.

Participants should be aged 18 to 70 with no history of heart disease and no current or planned pregnancy.