Neuromodulation During the Prodrome to Prevent Disabling Migraine Attacks in Youth

Summary

Background \& Rationale:

One in ten Canadian youth have migraine, a disabling neurological disease that is more common in females and characterized by moderate-severe disabling headaches. Migraine attacks occur in a cycle that begins with a prodromal phase, followed by aura, a pain phase (headache), and finally a postdrome phase when the pain is resolved but other symptoms persist. The prodrome is recognized by \~90% of all youth with migraine, occurs up to 24 hours before headache onset, and consists of a variety of symptoms including, but not limited to, food cravings, fatigue, yawning, mood changes, and sensory hypersensitivity (e.g., light sensitivity). Prodromal symptoms are disabling and frequently graded as moderate to severe. All acute migraine treatments for youth have been studied for use in the pain phase, with the greatest treatment success early in this phase. Unfortunately, only \~1/3 of youth achieve pain freedom within two hours. Recently, a groundbreaking trial found that treatment during the prodrome could prevent the pain phase, although prodromal treatment does not exist for youth.

In considering the most innovative, safe, and patient-centered prodromal intervention, remote electrical neuromodulation (REN) is the obvious choice. The investigator's engagement with 175 youth with migraine and their caregivers shows that REN is preferred when pill-based interventions are ineffective or impractical. REN has none of the limitations of pill-based prodromal treatment. The REN device is wearable, battery-operated, worn on the upper arm, and controlled wirelessly by a smartphone application. REN electrically stimulates sensory nerves in the arm below their perceived pain thresholds, but above their depolarization thresholds, to induce a conditioned pain modulation response in the brain to modulate incoming migraine pain signals.

Clinical trial and observational studies in youth with migraine have shown REN's safety and efficacy for home-based treatment during the pain phase and led the FDA to clear its use in youth \>8 years. In the adolescent trial, 71% of participants had pain relief at two hours, there were no serious adverse events (AE), and only one device-related AE (transient arm pain) occurred. Also, emerging data show that adults with migraine in the prodrome phase display pain facilitation due to a deficit in pain modulation. Thus, REN's mechanism of action is likely to be more effective during the prodrome vs. the pain phase as it can "turn on" deficient pain modulatory areas earlier when they are most impaired.

Research Question \& Objectives:

The investigators aim to determine the feasibility of implementing REN treatment during the prodrome to prevent migraine pain in youth with migraine, and hypothesize that:

1. trial design will be feasible
2. REN will be feasible for prodromal treatment, with \>80% of participants using their assigned device to treat a qualifying prodrome.

The following feasibility and acceptability outcomes will be measured:

1. proportion of eligible youth that are enrolled into the screening period, subsequently randomized, and treat a qualifying prodrome with REN.
2. recruitment rate, retention, and withdrawals.
3. participant feedback.

All secondary outcomes will be reported descriptively, and adverse events will be recorded and reported.

Methods:

This study will be a pilot randomized, single centre, double-blind, parallel group, sham-controlled trial comparing active to sham REN for the prevention of headache within 24 hours of treating prodromal symptoms in youth with migraine. Participants will be recruited from headache and neurology clinics at the Alberta Children's Hospital.

Eligible and consenting participants will complete an intake visit and enter a 60-day screening period where they will complete electronic daily diaries to determine prodrome or headache occurrence and features. Participants with 3-28 qualifying prodromes during screening, where \>75% are followed by a headache within 6 hours, will be randomized 1:1 to treat one qualifying prodrome with active or sham REN over a 60-day treatment period. Participants will be trained on device use and will be instructed to not use any co-interventions during the qualifying prodrome; if headache onsets after the prodrome, participants will be instructed to use their typical acute treatment. During the treated prodrome, a survey will determine the presence, type, and number of prodromal symptoms. Surveys at 2, 24, and 48 hours post-treatment will record the presence or absence of headache, its characteristics, and AEs.

The randomization sequence will be prepared by a biostatistician and will follow randomly ordered blocks of four and six, with variable block sizes. Only research pharmacists will have access to this sequence to prepare consecutively numbered blinded and matched study kits. These kits will contain a restricted mobile phone with only the REN software application pre-installed.

Conditions

• Migraine
• Migraine Headache

Interventions

DEVICE

Active Remote Electrical Neuromodulation

The REN device modulates the pain response in the brain using conditioned pain modulation to trigger an analgesic effect. This mechanism is achieved by electrically stimulating the C and Aδ nociceptive sensory nerves in the upper arm, just below the perceived pain threshold and above the depolarization threshold. Precise activation of these sensory nerves further triggers ascending pain pathways within the spinothalamic tract and brain stem. These pathways further activate descending pain inhibitory pathways within the brain stem to modulate incoming pain signals and produce an analgesic effect. The active REN device involves 45 minutes of a modulated symmetrical biphasic square electrical pulse, modulated frequency of 100-120 Hz, pulse width of 400 µs, maximum of 40 mA, which modulates the pain response in the brain using conditioned pain modulation to trigger an analgesic effect.

DEVICE

Sham Remote Electrical Neuromodulation

The sham REN device produces sensations comparable to the active REN device, appears identical to the active REN device, is also controlled wirelessly by a smartphone application, but uses lower stimulation parameters which were ineffective in adult trials. The sham REN device involves 45 minutes of modulated symmetrical biphasic square electrical pulse, modulated frequency of \~0.083 Hz and a modulated pulse width of 40-550 µs.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Calgary

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Serena L Orr · University of Calgary

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

QUADRUPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

8 Years

Max Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-10-31

Primary Completion

2027-10-31

Completion

2028-09-30

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations