Tracking Early Symptoms to Understand How Migraine Attacks Begin Across Multiple Episodes

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating the order in which early symptoms, called premonitory symptoms, appear before migraine headaches. These symptoms mark the start of a migraine attack and involve changes in brain activity. However, the exact sequence of these symptoms and brain changes remains unclear, and this study aims to fill that gap by tracking these symptoms across multiple migraine episodes. Participants will use a special electronic diary to record the type, order, start time, and duration of premonitory symptoms during up to five migraine attacks. They will be asked to make these entries as soon as possible at headache onset, with timestamps to reduce memory errors. Data collection uses a structured diary on the REDCap platform and a standardized case report form. During the study, participants will track their symptoms across several migraine attacks over up to six months. Researchers will assess how often each symptom appears first, the timing between symptoms and headache, and the consistency of symptoms across attacks. They will also compare reported symptoms with diary data, evaluate symptom impact on disability, and monitor symptom evolution during headache phases.

Chronology and Sequence of Premonitory Symptoms