Vagus nerve stimulation device treats cluster headache attacks

Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) significantly reduced the number of cluster headache attacks beyond the best available standard of care (SoC) according to a paper in a peer-reviewed journal

The patients in the study delivered the therapy by holding ElectroCore’s gammaCore device on the neck over the vagus nerve.

The patients carried out the 120 second stimulation three times in the morning and three times in the evening with a gap of five minutes between stimulations.

The stimulation is achieved by a proprietary electrical signal that activates specific fibers in the vagus nerve bundle.

The paper in the International Headache Society journal, Cephalalgia, showed that those using the active gammaCore device plus SoC achieved a nearly three times greater reduction in attack frequency per week, compared with just the SoC group.

It also stated that patients experienced a greater reduction in the number of attacks the longer they stayed on treatment.

The paper examined a large scale, randomised clinical trial into the prevention of chronic cluster headache and found that nVNS therapy resulted in meaningful improvements in quality of life and a reduction in the use of traditional rescue medications such as injectable Sumatriptan and oxygen. 

Dr. Charly Gaul, director of the Migraine and Headache Clinic in Königstein, Germany, said: “Current prophylactic treatments for cluster headache are limited with verapamil and lithium used most often. These drugs have significant side effects.

“Our study demonstrates the clinical relevance of nVNS in patients with chronic cluster headache and adds an easy to use and an important new option for this extremely painful and difficult to manage condition.”

The gammaCore therapy is presently available in Europe, with a physician’s authorisation, under a CE mark covering the treatment and prevention of primary headaches, including both migraine and cluster headache.