Use Electricity to Treat Migraine Pain

The human brain contains mu-opioid receptors which block pain when activated by substances including mu-opioid and morphine. Alex DaSilva, assistant professor of prosthodontics at the University of Michigan has discovered that applying low dose electricity to the brain through electrodes on the scalp can trigger the release of mu-opioid and block certain types of head and facial pain, including migraine. Sessions take 20 minutes. To target the a safe, effective dose of electricity to the right place he uses a portable device called a high definition transcranial direct current stimulator. Migraine can be a big problem for people who suffer TBI. To find out more about DaSilva’s work you can follow him on the Internet through the pages of the Headache and Orofacial Pain Effort Laboratory at the U-M School of Dentistry.