Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Stress Reduction for Migraines Study


Migraine headaches are one of the most common causes of chronic pain, and they are often resistant to conventional treatments. Participants in this study will simultaneously receive both stress reduction training and neuromodulation by a noninvasive vagal nerve stimulation device in the ear for their migraine pain. Participants will be evaluated using the most advanced neuroimaging tools such as functional MRI and positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, conducted at MGH's Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, which will allow researchers to understand the mechanisms by which the stress reduction training and the ear vagal nerve stimulation device can work together to reduce chronic pain and decrease migraine frequency.
 

Featured News: CMC was awarded a research grant titled “Neural and physiologic effects of self-compassion on chronic pain” from the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital.  This grant provides seed funding for a pilot neuroimaging study examining self-compassion training for people experiencing chronic lower back pain.