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Visual distortion provoked by a stimulus in migraine associated with hyperneuronal activity
Jie Huang1, Thomas G Cooper, Banu Satana
1Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Background:
Migraineurs with visual aura are highly susceptible to illusions and visual distortion and are particularly sensitive to a pattern of regularly spaced parallel lines or stripes.
Purpose:
To determine whether the high degree of susceptibility to illusions and visual distortion in migraineurs with aura is associated with hyperneurological activity of the occipital cortex.
Methods:
In order to investigate any relationships among neuronal activity, spatial frequency of square-wave gratings, and self-described visual distortion, we investigated the neuronal and psychophysical responses to square-wave gratings in migraineurs with visual aura and in nonheadache controls.
Results:
Square-wave gratings provoked various types of visual distortion and illusions and induced a hyperneuronal response in the visual cortex of migraineurs with visual aura, a response that strongly depended upon the stimulus spatial frequency.
Conclusion:
The hyperneuronal activity of the occipital cortex is consistent with general cortical hyperexcitability in migraine.