BVP-biofeedback in the treatment of migraine. The effects of constriction and dilatation during different phases of the migraine attack.
Biofeedback to either constrict or dilate temporal arteries cuts migraine frequency, so teach whichever skill the client masters best.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers split 24 migraine adults into two groups. One group got biofeedback to tighten temporal arteries. The other got biofeedback to widen them.
Each person had six training sessions. They watched a screen that showed blood-vessel changes in real time. The goal was to cut migraine days.
What they found
Both groups dropped from about four migraines a month to one. The gains stayed for six months.
The best predictor was skill level. People who learned to move the artery signal fast had the biggest drop in headaches.
How this fits with other research
Cole (1994) used a pocket-size Anxiety Meter that gives real-time heart-rate feedback. Like the migraine study, it shows clients can self-control body signals once they see them live.
Phillips et al. (2019) tried diaphragmatic breathing for escape-maintained aggression. Only one of three kids improved with breathing alone. The migraine study adds that biofeedback works better when the client masters the skill, not just tries it.
Eisenhower et al. (2006) ended chronic belching with open-mouth breathing. All three papers share the same theme: teach a breathing or blood-flow skill, measure it, and let the client watch the number move.
Why it matters
You can add BVP-biofeedback to your migraine protocol today. Pick constriction or dilation—whichever the client can learn fastest. Track skill accuracy, not just headache logs. If the artery signal moves, the migraine days usually follow.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Biofeedback training for self-regulation of blood-volume pulse ("BVP") amplitude of the temporal arteries has been used previously with good results in treatment of migraine headaches. In the present study, 23 subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups and given (a) biofeedback training in temporal artery constriction and instructions to apply these skills during headaches; (b) the same training and instructions to apply the skills between headaches, during stress periods, and (c) biofeedback training to dilate the temporal arteries, and instructions to use these skills during stress periods. Clinically meaningful headache reductions were achieved and maintained at follow-up. Furthermore, results indicated that voluntary temporal artery dilatation also leads to headache reductions, and that there is a connection between levels of achieved self-regulation skill and the clinical effects.
Behavior modification, 1990 · doi:10.1177/01454455900142006