Medical research

Research Advisory Committee

The Migraine Trust has a Reseach Advisory Committee which makes all decisions regarding allocation of research funding (when available).  Its members are:

• Professor Peter J Goadsby, BMedSc MD MB BS PhD DSc FRACP FRCP  (Chairman)
• Dr T J Steiner, BSc PhD LLM MA MB MFPM
• Professor Jean Schoenen, PhD MD
• Professor P Anand, MA MD FRCP
• Professor Maria Fitzgerald, BA PhD FMedSci
• Dr Paul Davies, MA MD FRCP
• Dr William Radice MA DPhil

Our most recently agreed grants include:

• Executive control of sensory processing in migraineurs; a neuroimaging approach
• Electrophysiological study of trigeminovascular system; a model of familial hemiplegic migraine
• A case control study of the molecular genetics of pure menstrual and menstrually-related migraine
• The response of human brain endothelium and astrocytes to vasoactive mediators (PhD Studentship)

Completed projects funded by The Migraine Trust

Here is a small sample of research projects funded by The Migraine Trust:

• A pilot study to determine the unmet need of headache in children in a primary care setting and the effectiveness of an intervention by an intermediate care clinic to alleviate the burden
• Central modulation of the trigeminovascular system: the brain and migraine
• Distribution of 5-HT receptor subtypes in neuronal pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of migraine
• Molecular genetics of familial migraine in children and adults identified through population surveys and patient databases
• A randomised control trial of a simple intervention in primary care to improve the management of migraine
• Chronic daily headache and medication use/misuse: assessment and development of potential biological markers
• Cortical hyperexcitability in migraine attack genesis: a neural systems approach to prevention
• Modulation of trigeminovascular processing in the brainstem: understanding the biology of migraine
• A case control study of chronic daily headache in the general population
• Understanding the pathophysiology of migraine aura
• Physical activity and childhood migraine
• Molecular genetics of familial migraine in children and adults
• Understanding the pathophysiology of migraine aura: The role of nitric oxide in cortical spreading depression

The Grants System

In order to ensure that we use our limited funds to the maximum benefit for people with migraine all applications undergo a rigorous scrutiny process.

These decisions are made a specialist committee with a membership composed of some of the most highly respected clinicians and scientists. All of them give their time for free.

Our grant application form requires applicants to give a very detailed account of the research proposed, the scientific experiments which will be carried out, how the data or other information will be collected, and the methods of analysis to be used for the results. Every application is peer reviewed – namely it is sent to two or three external experts who scrutinize the proposals for scientific value, potential weaknesses in the design and providing a recommendation for funding.

The reviewed applications are then sent to the Research Advisory Committee who meet to discuss each application in great detail, putting forward their own views to add to those of the external experts. The applications are considered in terms of scientific rigour and relevance to furthering our understanding of migraine.