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A new study reveals that a hand-held device that painlessly sends a magnetic pulse into the head may offer some migraine sufferers a sense of relief.

The noninvasive device delivers a therapy known as transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS. It works by sparking a magnetic pulse that, when held against a person's head, creates an electric current among the nerves cells of the brain. The TMS device disrupts migraines in the "aura" phase, before they trigger pain.

Migraine sufferers experiencing auras often describe seeing showers of shooting stars, zigzagging lines and flashing lights, and experiencing loss of vision, weakness, tingling or confusion. This is followed by intense throbbing head pain, nausea and vomiting. One in eight Americans suffers from migraines and only 50 to 60 percent of patients respond to individual treatments.

Dr. Yousef Mohammad, of The Ohio State University in Columbus, reported the findings at the annual meeting of the American Headache Society in Boston. In the study, researchers recruited 201 patients suffering from migraine with aura, then randomly assigned them to use the TMS device or a "sham" device the investigators used for comparison. Patients were instructed to apply the device over the site of the migraine, at its onset. The researchers found that two hours after treatment, 39 percent of the TMS patients were pain-free, versus 22 percent of patients using the sham device.

By interfering with the aura phase of migraine, Mohammad explained, TMS essentially interrupts the "electrical storm" that culminates in migraine pain. In some study patients, the treatment also eased migraine-related symptoms of nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.

Sunnyvale, California-based NeuraLieve, the manufacturer of the TMS device used in the study, funded the work. Mohammad serves on the company's board of directors.

A spokeswoman for Neuralieve told DOTmed News that the company is in the process of receiving FDA clearance for the product and working with physicians to fulfill prescriptions for the Neuralieve TMS Therapy System for their patients.

Lynn Shapiro contributed to this report.