KU students who find studying often becomes a pain in the neck may find relief in an experimental gadget dubbed the ‘Migraine Zapper’.

With 43 per cent of Kingston students claiming to have had at least one migraine, the hand held device may be a simple yet effective alternative to the vast range of medication stocked on chemist’s shelves. It could also prove to be a lifeline for students during the more stressful times of the academic year as 77 per cent of students interviewed pinpointed exam stress as the biggest cause of a migraine attack.

California firm, Neuralieve has developed the ‘Migraine Zapper’ which utilises Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). Patients are treated by holding the device against the back of their heads at the first sign of a migraine as it emits a magnetic pulse to the head.

At a flick of a switch, these pulses pass non-invasively through the skull and tissue to excite and depolarize neurons in the brain. This short circuits the abnormal electrical activity which causes migraine and prevents it from developing into a full blown migraine.

Almost 40 per cent of those who used the device in clinical trials stated that they were pain free after two hours. A further 29 per cent reported they were pain free after 24 hours indicating the migraine was stopped, not merely postponed.

Classically misunderstood as a ‘bad headache’ migraines are quite common, affecting around one in four women and one in 12 men in the UK.

Typical symptoms of migraines include: excruciatingly painful headaches, nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.

Out of those interviewed 89 per cent of students said they would try the 'Migrane Zapper' over traditional medication if it was affordable.

Rob Mifsud, a 27 year old computer science student  said: “I’d give it a try if I was suffering. My girlfriend suffers from migraines and she is forever searching for different remedies, but none of them really work. She gets them them really badly, she has to crawl up in a ball in the dark and I’d describe her as bloody miserable when she has one. I’d definitely consider buying one for her, or if there was somewhere you could try it out at, I’d definitely give it a go.”

However not all students are convinced by the technology and are quite skeptical about the side effects.

Katie-Ann James a 24 year old psychology student said: “I used to get migraines when I was younger. It felt like my head was going to implode, I couldn’t see straight so I had to go straight to bed. But I’m unsure about the 'Zapper', I’m not one to even take paracetamol or anything invasive so I’d rather just go to bed for a couple of hours and sleep it off.”

Sandra West, 22 year old sociology and business student also shared hesitancy on the product. She said: “I would probably wait a bit to see if there are any negative side effects to this. I wouldn’t want to do anything to my brain without knowing exactly the side effects to it.”