EAN 2025 | The TACTIC trial: TDCS combined with anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of migraine
Simona Sacco, MD, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy, discusses TACTIC (NCT05161871), a randomized, sham-controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) and anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies as a combined treatment for migraine. Prof. Sacco reports findings from the trial, which provide proof of concept for potential synergy between peripheral and central treatments. This interview took place at the 11th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN 2025) in Helsinki, Finland.
These works are owned by Magdalen Medical Publishing (MMP) and are protected by copyright laws and treaties around the world. All rights are reserved.
Transcript
The trial is a randomized, sham-controlled trial that has the aim to optimize migraine treatment. We included in this trial patients who were on treatment with monoclonal antibodies targeting the CGRP system but with a positive response to those treatments saw some improvement but nevertheless who experienced at least eight monthly migraine days, so still an important residual migraine burden. And we randomized those patients to TDCS or to placebo...
The trial is a randomized, sham-controlled trial that has the aim to optimize migraine treatment. We included in this trial patients who were on treatment with monoclonal antibodies targeting the CGRP system but with a positive response to those treatments saw some improvement but nevertheless who experienced at least eight monthly migraine days, so still an important residual migraine burden. And we randomized those patients to TDCS or to placebo. We also performed an analysis with high-density EEG to check how the brain connectivity was affected by TDCS or placebo. And what we found, we found that the patients randomized to active treatment had significantly more benefit in some of the outcomes as compared to those randomized to placebo, and there were higher probabilities to have changes in brain connectivity. So this is a pilot study performed in two centers, but it’s a proof of concept that a synergy between treatment acting at the peripheral level, such as monoclonal antibodies, and treatment acting at the central level, such as TDCS, can lead to better outcomes for patients with migraine.
This transcript is AI-generated. While we strive for accuracy, please verify this copy with the video.
Read more...
