Does Topiramate Adjust the Excitability of the Brain in Migraine Sufferers?

• Status: Unknown status
• Trial end date: 2006-08-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

The purpose of the study is to determine by the use of non-invasive magnetic stimulation if the medication Topiramate adjusts the excitability of the migraine sufferer's brain.

Previous studies have shown the migraine sufferer's brain is more excitable. The magnetic stimulation device has given us a way to look at excitability and to see if it changes at the same time that a headache diary shows if the pattern or severity of headaches changes with the administration of the drug Topiramate.

It is expected that as migraine sufferers have fewer headaches with topiramate the testing with magnetic stimulation will show that their brains are less excitable and that if the topiramate does not change the character of headaches then the pattern of excitabilty would not change from the baseline test before medication is started.

• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Emerald City Headache Organization
• Collaborator: Ortho-McNeil Neurologics, Inc.
• Treatments: Topiramate

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Subjects 18 to 55 years old with migraine headaches as defined by the International Headache Society (IHS).

Subjects must be willing to take topiramate for migraine prophylaxis

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Subjects with frequent tension headaches 2. Subjects with ill-defined head pain 3. Unable to be weaned off other headache prophylaxis. 4. Requiring daily use of centrally-acting medications. 5. Pregnant, lactating and women not on adequate birth control measures. 6. Subjects with a personal or family history of seizures of any type. 7. History of head injury or brain surgery. 8. Cardiac pacemakers or any other implanted electronic device. 9. Subjects with history of headaches or with history of tension-type headaches recurring >1/month and relieved by over the counter medications.

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