Which neuromodulation device is approved for cluster headache?

Prepare for the Pharmacology IV – Headache Therapeutics Test. Review the therapeutic approaches, tackle multiple-choice questions with explanations, and boost your test-taking confidence. Ace your exam with precision!

Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation is the neuromodulation approach that has regulatory approval for cluster headache. The device sends brief electrical pulses to the cervical vagus nerve, which modulates brainstem and autonomic pain pathways involved in cluster headaches. This can help abort or lessen attacks and is supported by clinical data showing efficacy in episodic cluster headache with a favorable safety profile. The other devices—transcranial magnetic stimulation targeting the motor cortex, external trigeminal nerve stimulation, and the REN system—are not approved for cluster headache in standard practice, or are primarily studied for migraine rather than cluster. So the approved option for cluster headache is non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation.