Temporal, Environmental, and Genetic Factors Regulating Exercise and Migraine

Summary

Chronic pain, of which migraine is among the most common, affects 100 million US adults and costs between $560 to $635 billion dollars annually. There is a need for effective, low-cost non-pharmacological strategies to reduce migraine load in migraineurs (based on International Headache Society classification International Classification of Headache Disorders \[ICHD\]-3; experience headache \[migraine-like or tension-type-like\] on 15+ days/month for 3+ months, and have migraine headaches \[either with aura or without aura\] on 8+ days/month). This represents an area of interest, as common migraine medications induce central nervous system side-effects including aphasia, ataxia, somnolescence, and vertigo; and 79% of suffers have an interest in trying novel treatment strategies with lower adverse effects than medications.

Exercise has been shown to be a non-pharmacological intervention to reduce migraine burden. However, how environmental (i.e. - time-of-day, exposure to nature) and genetic factors (i.e. - polymorphisms in circadian and migraine associated genes) impact the laudatory effects of exercise remains unknown. There are independently established heritable components to migraine frequency (65%), circadian rhythm (70%), and aerobic power during exercise (66%). Thus, the central hypothesis is that an optimal environment can improve the exercise-induced reduction in migraine load, which is influenced by genetic heritability of migraine related gene polymorphisms.

Conditions

• Migraine Disorders

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Chronotype

Participants screened using the Morningness/Eveningness Questionnaire. Chronotype categorized as either Definite Morning/Morning, or Evening/Definite Evening. Participant will exercise (60-70% estimated heart rate max, 2 x per week, 30-min/session) either in sync or not in sync with chronotype for one month in a randomized cross-over design. There will be a one-month wash out period, and then participant will complete training in the alternate chronotype for one month.

BEHAVIORAL

Green exercise

Participants will be randomly assigned to four weeks of moderate intensity aerobic exercise (60-70% estimated heart rate max, 2 x per week, 30-min/session) in either natural or indoor environments in a randomized cross-over design. There will be a one-month wash out period, and then participant will complete training in alternate environment for one month.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Nevada, Las Vegas

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• James W Navalta, PhD · University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

55 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-11-23

Primary Completion

2022-03-31

Completion

2022-05-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations