Nara Lamp

Prof. Rami Burstein, a Harvard Medical School neuroscientist, is considered a world leader in the science of migraine and headache pain. His numerous discoveries have enabled doctors to better understand, diagnose, and bring relief to migraine patients around the world.

In addition to discovering the narrow band of light that does not irritate people with migraine and light sensitivity, which he developed into the Allay Lamp, he also discovered why common migraine drugs help some patients, don’t help others, and why they work better when taken early; how Botox prevents migraines in some patients; and how brain areas that control sleep and appetite are involved in starting a migraine attack.

Prof. Burstein’s focus:Prof. Burstein dedicates his time to helping those who suffer from migraine headaches and pain. The main focus of his clinical and laboratory studies is to explain how different parts of the brain cause a person’s experience of migraine, including areas such as emotions, headache, nausea, sensitivity to light, pain, and difficulty concentrating.

How he works: Prof. Burstein’s research is a two-way street between patients and the laboratory. He generates ideas from listening to patients and tries them in the lab. His studies in the lab also generate ideas that he then tests with patients by asking them questions about things they may not have noticed previously or had never been asked. “Does your hair hurt?” “Do you prefer to wear looser clothes when you have migraines?” “Do you take off your jewelry during a migraine?” Having their difficult symptoms recognized and explained is often reassuring to patients and at the same time helps doctors better understand what patients tell them and why they experience their symptoms.

Together with his team of research colleagues, Prof. Burstein publishes prolifically in top peer-reviewed journals, serves on scientific and review committees, and lectures throughout the world.