Recent news

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  PhD defense Britt van der Arend

  On Tuesday, October 14, Britt successfully defended her PhD thesis titled “Towards personalised migraine care: the role of sex hormones, telemedicine, and cardiovascular safety.”
  The main finding of her dissertation is that women with migraine experience a higher estradiol peak, followed by a steeper drop in estradiol levels just before menstruation, compared to women without migraine. This discovery provides new leads for (short-term) hormonal therapies aimed at preventing perimenstrual migraine attacks.
  The digital version of the dissertation is available via this link.

  Summary: the first part demonstrates that electronic headache diaries and video consultations are both feasible and reliable in clinical practice. The Leiden e-diary proved to be a valuable tool for diagnosis, monitoring, and research. In addition, an improved definition of a “migraine day” was developed for use in clinical and research settings. The second part explores the role of sex hormones in menstrual migraine. Women are at increased risk of experiencing migraine attacks around menstruation, likely due in part to the steep decline in estradiol levels. This was confirmed by a study measuring hormone levels in women with migraine and healthy controls. No increase in migraine incidence was observed around ovulation. The ongoing WHAT! Trial is investigating whether continuous hormonal contraception can reduce these menstrual migraine attacks. The third part addresses the cardiovascular safety of anti-CGRP (receptor) monoclonal antibodies. Although these agents are generally well tolerated, increases in blood pressure have been reported. Regular blood pressure monitoring therefore remains important.

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  Update from the WHAT! Study: Presentation at the MTIS Conference in London

  From September 5 to 8, our research team attended the MTIS conference (Migraine Trust International Symposium) at the Hilton London Metropole in the United Kingdom. This is one of the largest international conferences in the field of migraine research, offering a valuable opportunity to share our knowledge and insights with fellow researchers and healthcare professionals.
  Britt van der Arend delivered a presentation on perimenstrual migraine—migraine attacks occurring around menstruation. Her talk covered various treatment options and emphasized the importance of further research into hormonal treatments. The ongoing research within the WHAT! Study was a key focus, and we are excited to work towards completing it in the coming year.

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  Migraine Patient Day 2024

  The Leiden Headache Group organized a successful Migraine Patient Day, welcoming 300 people with Migraine logo pastries. Prof. Dr. G. Terwindt opened the day, followed by plenary sessions on various topics including the role of headache nurses, genetic research in migraine, and new treatment options. Participants could choose from interactive sessions on topics such as hormones and migraine triggers, and were given tours of the research laboratory and an EEG demonstration. The day concluded with a reception where scientific posters were presented and Headache Network provided information. Thanks to sponsors Abbvie, Lundbeck, Pfizer, and Teva, as well as all participants and their families. A report of the day will soon be available on https://hoofdpijnonderzoek.nl/en/. Also, listen to the Headache Podcast for more information (“Hoofdpijnpodcast” in Dutch, available on Spotify)! The next episode, scheduled for early April, will cover this patient day!

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  Publication: rationale and protocol of the WHAT! Trial

  New publication! Our WHAT! study is moving forward with the publication of the background and protocol of the WHAT! Trial. You can find the entire article here. Women who suffer from migraines are more likely to experience migraines during their periods or other hormonal changes. The lack of understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanism causes a lack of hormonal treatment for migraine in women. Our hypothesis is that continuous daily use of a birth control pill could be an effective and well-tolerated preventive treatment for menstrual migraine.💊 We are still looking for new participants! If you are interested or know someone who might be, you can go to our application form (Dutch language is required)

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  Webinar Stichting Voices for Women

  On Jan. 29, 2024, Voices for Women Foundation held a webinar on headaches in girls and women: “could it be migraine”? The webinar was a great success and very informative. During this webinar, the Voices for Women Foundation talked with columnist and expert by experience Roos Schlikker and medical specialist Gisela Terwindt about headaches in girls and women. The WHAT! study was also discussed, as well as practical tips and advice for girls and women with migraine. You can listen back to the webinar at: https://voicesforwomen.nl/webinars/.

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  Quest: Why do women suffer from migraine more often than men?

  1 in 3 women will experience a migraine attack at some point in their life. Migraine is three times more common in women than in men. Where does that difference come from? Physician-researcher Britt van der Arend and neurologist Gisela Terwindt explain it in an interview with Quest magazine. Read the article here (in Dutch).

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  New publication!

  Anti-CGRP medications seem to work just as well in women with menstrual migraine as in women with migraine that is not menstrual related. This research suggests that the use of anti-CGRP (receptor) antibodies may lead to a reduction in the number of migraine days throughout all days of the menstrual cycle. The finding also supports the preventive use of these antibodies in women with menstrual migraines. The entire article can be read here.

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  This is why women are more likely to experience severe migraine attacks than men

  A third of all women will suffer from migraines during their lifetime, compared to ‘only’ one in nine men. Where do those differences come from? Libelle asked (headache) neurologist Gisela Terwindt and PhD Candidate Britt van der Arend. Read the article here (in Dutch).

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  Facts and myths about the link between headaches and food; what is true?

  Does chocolate help with migraines and does coffee cause headaches? It is often said that food can prevent, cause, worsen, or reduce headaches. What are the facts and what are the myths? Neurologist Gisela Terwindt and medical researcher Britt van der Arend gave an interview in the magazine Libelle about the relationship between food and headaches, and food and migraines. You can read the article here (in Dutch).

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  Self-reported diagnosis of "menstrual migraine" has poor accuracy, headache E-diary is needed

  New research from our group shows that self-reported menstrual migraine diagnosis has extremely poor accuracy. Two thirds of women suffer from menstrual migraine, independent of self-reports. Pure menstrual migraine is rare. Women with menstrual migraine have longer attack duration and increased triptan intake during perimenstrual attacks, in contrast to women without menstrual migraine. Prospective headache (E-)diaries are required for a menstrual migraine diagnosis, also in clinical practice. Read the article here.