Annual AHS meeting showcases new migraine solutions

BOSTON It may look like a pillow for robots, but a new device uses magnetic pulses to provide relief for migraine headaches.

It’s among the latest technologies for treating migraines being presented this weekend at the annual meeting of the American Headache Society.

New drugs being tested include CGRP antagonists, designed for migraine patients who don’t respond to the more popular triptans.

Another new technology is occipital nerve stimulation, where an electrode is inserted under the skin in back of the neck, using electrical impulses to stop the nerve signals that cause the perception of pain.

The device that looks like a robot pillow uses transcranial magnetic stimulation. Held to the back of the head as a migraine headache starts, it sends two magnetic pulses to the brain, thus blocking the migraine headache.