A significant percentage of women suffer from one of the most persistent and annoying head-related ailments: migraines. It is possible that in a reasonable time they could be in luck since the University of Texas in the United States has announced what seems to be the definitive remedy to alleviate this complex pathology. The researchers in charge of the study have proposed the introduction of an electrode into the skull of those affected. This system would work through a control with which this device could be activated whenever pain occurred. It looks like quite a promising proposition as during its five years of development it has achieved a 90% success rate.
The definitive method to overcome migraines?
This technique bases its operation on the electrical stimulation of an area that suffers from pain, a nerve root or, directly, a nerve through a low voltage current and variable intensity. This methodology takes advantage of a limitation of the nerves, since they cannot transport two pieces of information simultaneously. Given the case, by manipulating it electrically, the pain message cannot pass through the nerve ending and be sent to the brain, so, a priori, it would be eliminated during the period in which said stimulation works.
The research is based on an idea that has been reported in specialized publications for some time and which establishes that migraines originate due to the hypersensitivity of the fibers that surround the blood vessels. A statement that completely contradicts the belief that this ailment was determined by the processes of constriction and dilation of the arteries located in the skull which, at a later stage, tend to lead to the usual migraines.
However, this cranial electrode solution presents two fundamental problems that may limit its level of success. On the one hand, the very implantation of the electrode in the skull can cause infections, although in the hands of competent specialists this risk could be reduced. On the other hand, over time it is possible that this device moves from its initial location and, therefore, loses its effectiveness when it comes to combating these headaches.