Every June, Migraine and Headache Awareness Month highlights a condition that affects more than 1 billion people worldwide but is still widely misunderstood. For many, migraine is much more than a headache—it can interfere with work, school, relationships, and daily life. Yet at least half of people living with migraine remain undiagnosed or undertreated, underscoring the need for greater awareness and continued clinical research.
Clinical research plays an important role in improving how we understand and treat migraine and headache disorders — from identifying triggers to exploring new treatment approaches. At TrialX, we help individuals discover clinical studies that align with their health profile and location while also helping investigators and study teams match patients for their clinical trials. This Migraine and Headache Awareness Month, we’re spotlighting clinical trials that are currently recruiting participants.
1. Rimegepant for Acute Migraine Treatment in Children and Adolescents
Sponsor: Pfizer
What It’s Testing and Why It Matters
Migraine in young people is often underrecognized, yet it can significantly affect a child’s ability to attend school, participate in daily activities, and maintain overall well-being. This Phase 3 study is evaluating whether rimegepant — an oral medication already studied in adults — can safely and effectively treat moderate to severe migraine attacks in children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 17.
Participants are randomly assigned to receive either rimegepant or a placebo during a migraine attack. The study then measures how well the medication relieves pain and other common migraine symptoms — such as nausea, sensitivity to light, and sensitivity to sound — within two hours of taking the dose. Researchers are also tracking whether participants need additional rescue medication and how long relief is sustained after treatment.
Why It Stands Out
Treatment options for pediatric migraine remain more limited compared to those available for adults, and much of the existing research has centered on adult patients. By including both children and adolescents and using age-appropriate pain assessment tools for each group, this study is designed to generate evidence that directly reflects the needs of younger patients.
What It Could Mean for Patients
If rimegepant proves effective in this age group, it could:
- Offer a new acute treatment option for children and teens with frequent or disabling migraine attacks
- Help expand the evidence base for how this class of medication works across different age groups
- Support more informed treatment decisions for families and healthcare providers managing pediatric migraine
Locations
This study is recruiting across sites in the United States, as well as locations in Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Learn more about the study and check your eligibility here.
2. The Will Erwin Headache Research Center – Cluster Headache and Trigeminal Neuralgia Registry (WEC1)
Sponsor: The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
What It’s Testing and Why It Matters
Cluster headache and trigeminal neuralgia are among the most painful and debilitating neurological conditions known — yet they remain far less understood than more common headache disorders. This long-term observational study, based at the Will Erwin Headache Research Center at UTHealth Houston, is building a national registry of patients living with these conditions in order to improve how they are understood, classified, and ultimately treated.
Participants undergo detailed evaluations that capture their medical history, symptoms, imaging results, and physical exam findings. The study also collects biological samples — including blood, urine, and saliva — to support genomic and epigenomic research aimed at identifying potential genetic markers and molecular patterns associated with these conditions. Family members and healthy volunteers are also welcome to participate, helping researchers identify genetic factors that may contribute to disease development.
Why It Stands Out
Rather than testing a single treatment, this registry takes a broader, longer-term view. By bringing together a large and carefully characterized cohort of patients over time, the study creates a foundation for future research — including the ability to match participants with relevant interventional clinical trials as they become available. It also looks beyond cluster headache to include related conditions such as paroxysmal hemicrania, SUNCT, SUNA, hemicrania continua, and trigeminal neuralgia, which are often studied in isolation despite sharing important characteristics.
What It Could Mean for Patients
For individuals living with these rare and often severely undertreated conditions, opportunities to participate in meaningful research can be limited. This registry offers a way to contribute to a growing body of knowledge that could:
- Support the development of more targeted and effective treatments
- Improve how these conditions are diagnosed and classified
- Connect patients with future clinical trials that may be relevant to their specific situation
Locations
This study is recruiting at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in Houston, Texas.
Explore eligibility and participation details here.
3. Mind-Body Intervention for Chronic Migraine Headaches
Sponsor: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
What It’s Testing and Why It Matters
For people living with chronic migraine, managing the condition often involves more than medication alone. This exploratory study, led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, is investigating whether a structured mind-body intervention can help reduce the frequency, severity, and overall impact of chronic migraine headaches.
Participants take part in regular educational sessions — lasting one to two hours each — that introduce and build on mind-body techniques through lectures, group discussions, and supplemental reading materials. Individual sessions are also available each week for those who want additional support. The study tracks changes in migraine-related disability, headache impact, pain intensity, and pain-related anxiety at multiple points over a 20-week period.
Why It Stands Out
Unlike most migraine studies that focus on pharmaceutical treatments, this one takes a non-medication approach — exploring how behavioral and psychological techniques may influence the experience of chronic pain. The study also goes beyond simply measuring headache frequency, assessing a broader range of outcomes including quality of life, anxiety related to pain, and overall disease severity. Sessions are available remotely, making participation more accessible for those who may find it difficult to attend in person.
What It Could Mean for Patients
This is an early-stage study designed to refine the protocol and inform a larger follow-up trial. If the approach shows promise, it could:
- Offer a non-pharmacological option to complement existing migraine treatments
- Help identify which mind-body techniques are most effective for people with chronic migraine
- Expand the range of accessible, lower-burden care options available to patients
Locations
This study is recruiting at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
Check and find if you are eligible here.
4. Understanding Why Headaches Become Chronic – The SunStar Project
Sponsor: Stanford University
What It’s Testing and Why It Matters
For many people, headaches that start out occasional can gradually become a near-daily occurrence — a process known as chronification. Understanding why this happens in some individuals and not others is one of the key unanswered questions in headache research. This observational study, led by researchers at Stanford University, is working to identify the biological, neurological, and personal factors that may drive this shift from episodic to chronic headache.
Participants complete online questionnaires to capture a wide range of personal and health-related characteristics. They are also invited to contribute a blood sample, undergo a brain MRI to measure brain activity and structure, and optionally provide a cerebrospinal fluid sample through a lumbar puncture. The study welcomes people across the full spectrum — from those with frequent or chronic headaches to those who experience them rarely or not at all — allowing researchers to make meaningful comparisons across groups.
Why It Stands Out
Rather than focusing on a single treatment or medication, this study takes a multi-layered scientific approach — combining brain imaging, protein analysis, and detailed patient profiling to build a more complete picture of how and why chronic headache develops. By analyzing these different types of data both independently and together, researchers aim to identify patterns that could help predict who is at greatest risk of progression — before chronic headache takes hold.
What It Could Mean for Patients
The findings from this study could:
- Help identify early warning signs that a person’s headaches may become chronic
- Inform the development of preventive strategies for those at higher risk
- Deepen scientific understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying chronic migraine and daily headache conditions
Locations
This study is recruiting at Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, California. Healthy volunteers are also welcome to participate.
Check study availability and see if you may qualify.
5. MyVitalC for Sleep and Everyday Headache Management
Sponsor: Efforia, Inc.
What It’s Testing and Why It Matters
Sleep and headaches are closely connected — poor sleep can trigger or worsen headaches, and recurring headaches can make restful sleep harder to achieve. This real-world observational study is exploring whether daily use of MyVitalC — a commercially available dietary supplement containing ESS60 in extra virgin olive oil — is associated with improvements in sleep quality and headache frequency or severity in everyday life.
The study begins with a four-week period during which participants track their usual sleep and headache patterns without taking the supplement. This is followed by six weeks of daily MyVitalC use, with weekly self-reported assessments throughout. Because each participant serves as their own comparison point, the study is designed to capture individual-level changes rather than group averages alone.
Why It Stands Out
Rather than testing a prescription medication in a controlled clinical setting, this study takes a real-world approach — observing how a widely available supplement performs in the context of participants’ actual daily lives. The use of validated patient-reported outcome tools, including standardized scales for sleep disturbance and pain interference, adds a layer of scientific structure to what is otherwise a practical, accessible study design.
What It Could Mean for Patients
For people managing everyday headaches alongside disrupted sleep, this study could:
- Generate early signals about whether MyVitalC is associated with meaningful changes in headache frequency or severity
- Contribute to a growing body of evidence on non-pharmaceutical approaches to headache and sleep management
- Help inform decisions about the role of dietary supplements in supporting everyday wellness for those with recurring headaches
Locations
This study is coordinated through Efforia in New York, New York, with participation conducted remotely via weekly online assessments.
Find out how you can get involved here.
Supporting Progress Through Research
This Migraine and Headache Awareness Month, clinical trials offer an opportunity to contribute to research that could benefit future patients while helping researchers learn more about what works best for managing migraine and headache disorders.
If you’d like to explore research opportunities, you can browse currently recruiting studies through TrialX or join our volunteer registry to receive updates on studies that may match your interests. You can also find educational resources and support through organizations such as the American Migraine Foundation, the International Headache Society, and the National Headache Foundation.
