Macrosomatognosia and microsomatognosia in migraine art

To study macrosomatognosia and microsomatognosia occurring as migraine aura symptoms.

Topological distribution of these body schema disturbances were assessed in a collection of 562 pictures submitted as entries to the 4 national Migraine Art competitions.

The said symptoms were illustrated by 18 artists. Macrosomatognosia was encountered more frequently than microsomatognosia and applied more often to single parts of the body, whereas microsomatognosia mostly affected the entire body. In partial macrosomatognosia, the head and upper extremities were the body parts most frequently involved, paralleling the extension of their representation in the sensory maps of the human brain.

The conscious perceptual experiences of whole body macro- and microsomatognosia argue in favour of the existence of an integrative neuronal network mediating whole body perception. Partial macro- and microsomatognosia suggest a reversible modification of cerebral maps of somatosensation during the migraine aura.