AN AI-powered app that could warn migraine sufferers before an attack strikes is being developed by researchers in Andalucia.

The PrisMaX project aims to predict when an individual patient is at risk of experiencing a migraine by combining their medical information with factors ranging from sleep and diet to temperature, air pollution and atmospheric pressure.

Researchers hope the technology will eventually allow sufferers to take preventive action before symptoms begin, while helping doctors tailor treatments more precisely.

The project has already recruited 370 patients and recorded more than 2,300 migraine attacks during its first nine months.

Migraines are a neurological disorder affecting an estimated 12% of the population, with attacks that can be severe and disabling.

How does it work?

Rather than treating every migraine sufferer in the same way, PrisMaX is designed to identify the particular combination of factors associated with attacks in each individual.

The system brings together clinical information collected by Andalucia’s public health service with external and lifestyle data.

These include diet, sleep patterns and physical exercise, alongside environmental conditions such as temperature, pollution and atmospheric pressure.

Machine-learning algorithms then analyse the information in search of patterns associated with that person’s migraine attacks.

The ultimate aim is to generate personalised alerts when the system detects that a new attack may be approaching.

That could give patients an opportunity to take preventive measures and allow healthcare professionals to make better-informed decisions about treatment.

Researchers hope that anticipating attacks could ultimately help reduce their frequency and severity and improve patients’ quality of life.

However, the project’s current objective is to develop and validate the predictive tool, rather than the system already being a proven method of forecasting migraines.

Five Andalucian hospitals involved

The multicentre study includes Sevilla’s Virgen Macarena University Hospital, where it is co-led by Jesus Moreno of the hospital’s Innovation and Data Analysis Unit.

Neurologist Carmen Gonzalez of Sevilla’s Virgen del Rocio Hospital is also leading the research.

Hospitals participating in the project additionally include San Cecilio in Granada, Torrecardenas in Almeria and Juan Ramon Jimenez in Huelva.

Beyond predicting individual attacks, researchers believe the enormous amount of information collected could provide new insights into the factors underlying migraines.

The technology could also shift migraine management towards a more preventive approach, with patients becoming more involved in understanding the circumstances that precede their own attacks.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.