Feasibility of 30-day smartphone assessment in 177 adults with migraine

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medRxiv Published April 21, 2026 Medically reviewed April 25, 2026 Study authors: Khorsand, B.; Teichrow, D.; Lipton, R. B.; Ezzati, A. DOI ↗ By Dr. Ji-eun Park, MD · Brain, Mind & Pain

Key Takeaway

Note feasibility of 30-day smartphone assessment in 177 adults with migraine; safety and efficacy not reported.

This cohort study enrolled 177 adults meeting International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition, criteria for migraine. The setting involved remote enrollment with smartphone-based assessment. The intervention consisted of a 30-day smartphone-based assessment including once-daily ecological momentary assessments and mobile cognitive tasks. The comparator was not reported.

Regarding enrollment, 177 participants were included. The mean age was 38.8 years (SD 11.9), and 79.7% were female. Chronic migraine prevalence was 45.2% (80/177 participants). The study followed participants for 30 days.

Feasibility metrics showed 3688 daily assessments were completed, representing 70.8% of all possible study days. Participants completing at least 20 days accounted for 70.6% of the cohort. Completion rates across study days were above 60%. Baseline demographics and migraine characteristics were collected. MIDAS scores were 98.6 for chronic migraine, 38.7 for low-frequency episodic migraine, and 70.3 for high-frequency episodic migraine. Days with concentration difficulty were 16.0, 7.9, and 11.5, respectively. Days with functional interference were 18.5, 7.6, and 13.0, respectively.

Safety data, including adverse events, serious adverse events, discontinuations, and tolerability, were not reported. The study limitations include the absence of a comparator group and lack of reported adverse events. Funding or conflicts of interest were not reported. The practice relevance demonstrates the feasibility of high-frequency smartphone-based assessment of cognition and symptoms in migraine. Causality was not reported, and certainty regarding clinical outcomes is not established.

Study Details

Study typeCohort

Sample sizen = 177

EvidenceLevel 3

PublishedApr 2026

View Original Abstract ↓

Objective: To describe the design, feasibility, and baseline characteristics of the Migraine Impact on Neurocognitive Dynamics (MIND) study, a 30-day smartphone-based cohort for high-frequency assessment of cognition and symptoms in adults with migraine. Background: Cognitive symptoms are an important component of migraine burden, but they are difficult to measure using single-visit testing or retrospective questionnaires. Repeated smartphone-based assessment may better capture real-world variability in cognition and symptoms. Methods: Adults meeting International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition, criteria for migraine were enrolled remotely and completed 30 days of once-daily ecological momentary assessments and mobile cognitive tasks delivered through the Mobile Monitoring of Cognitive Change platform. Baseline measures assessed demographics, migraine characteristics, disability, mood, stress, and treatment patterns. Feasibility was evaluated using enrollment, completion, and retention metrics. Results: A total of 177 participants enrolled (mean age 38.8 (SD 11.9) years; 79.7% female), including 80/177 (45.2%) with chronic migraine. Across the 30-day protocol, 3688 daily assessments were completed, representing 70.8% of all possible study days, and 70.6% of participants completed at least 20 days of monitoring. Completion remained above 60% across study days. At baseline, chronic migraine was associated with greater burden than low-frequency and high-frequency episodic migraine, including higher MIDAS scores (98.6 vs. 38.7 and 70.3), more days with concentration difficulty (16.0 vs. 7.9 and 11.5), and more days with functional interference (18.5 vs. 7.6 and 13.0). Conclusions: The MIND study demonstrates the feasibility of high-frequency smartphone-based assessment of cognition and symptoms in migraine and provides a methodological foundation for future analyses of within-person cognitive and symptom dynamics across the migraine cycle.

Feasibility of 30-day smartphone assessment in 177 adults with migraine

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Feasibility of 30-day smartphone assessment in 177 adults with migraine

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