What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 89 patients with migraine. The study was sponsored by Wake Forest University Health Sciences and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
Researchers followed patients through treatment and into recovery, tracking the outcomes that mattered most for the disease being studied.
What the results showed
Mindfulness training improved migraine disability, quality of life, and pain sensitivity for 9 months.
JAMA internal medicine · 2021 · NCT02695498
These findings — that mindfulness training reduced how intensely people felt experimental pain after 9 months — were published in the JAMA internal medicine and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 89 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with migraine, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This treatment is a structured mindfulness program, not a drug or procedure. It's widely available through hospitals, clinics, and online platforms — ask your doctor or search for certified programs in your area. The study showed that while it didn't reduce migraine frequency more than education alone, it helped people cope better and feel less disabled by their migraines over the long term.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open migraine trials
A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Elismetrep (K-304) in the Acute Treatment of Migraine
This is a double-blind, randomized, multicenter, outpatient evaluation of the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of elismetrep, as compared with placebo, in the acute treatment of migraine.
High-field MR Imaging in Migraine, Visual Snow and Epilepsy
In this project, the aim is to recruit patients with drug resistant epilepsy and those suffering from migraine. Interestingly, patients suffering from epilepsy are also more often reporting to suffer from migraine. The pathobiology is understudied, but it is believed that both etiologies results from brain networks changes. A clinical certified 7T Terra Siemens scanner will be employed to assess in all participants (including healthy controls) how the microstructure differs in disease specific areas. Patients will further be clinically assessed as well as undergo questionnaires. Migraine is also a common comorbidity to visual snow syndrom and has been shown to impact similar brain regions. However, the pathophysiology is still understudied and a better understanding of the two diseases is needed.