At Ohio University they have just invented a portable electronic device, the transcranial magnetic stimulator ( TMS ), which interrupts migraine in the so-called aura phase , prior to severe pain, in which patients "perceive electrical storms in the brain, "they see lights and experience some loss of vision, weakness and confusion, among other symptoms.
When it comes into action, the device sends an electric current through a metal coil and generates an intense magnetic field that lasts for just a millisecond. This magnetic pulse is transmitted to neurons in the brain, creating an electrical current that prevents the headache from progressing.
According to the inventor of TMS, the neurologist Yousef Mohammad, the first tests show that it is completely safe and has no side effects , something that cannot be said for the drugs currently used to combat headaches.
The new device will be officially unveiled tomorrow in Boston (USA) during the annual meeting of the American Headache Society .
