Beyond damaged nerves, researchers are considering electronic stimulation for headaches. One option is to implant electrodes deep in the brain, where they interfere with signals from the part that causes the pain of cluster headaches.
"That's remarkably effective," says Dr. Peter Goadsby, director of the UCSF Headache Center. However, it's also invasive: "You have to drill a hole in the person's head and stick an electrode in their brain."
Goadsby is working on an alternative that would put the electrode on the edge of the brain, where the occipital nerve runs in the back of the head. This nerve connects to the part of the brain that interprets headache pain, so interfering with its activity can swap pain sensations for tingly paresthesia. Goadsby has used devices as small as a matchstick to generate the interfering signal, and they have little risk, he says.
This treatment could be effective for migraines as well as cluster headache but is still undergoing study. Researchers are working to figure out how best to use the therapy and who is most likely to benefit.
