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Updated: Jul 6, 2026

3D-Neuronavigation In Vivo Through a Patient's Brain During a Spontaneous Migraine Headache
Published on: June 2, 2014
[Epileptic seizure and migraine visual aura: revisiting migralepsy]
M Barré1, S Hamelin, L Minotti
1Unité épilepsie et malaises neurologiques, département de neurologie, CHU de Grenoble, B.P. 217, 38043 Grenoble, France.
Introduction:
The term of "migralepsy" has been proposed to define migraine-triggered epileptic seizures. Although already reported in the literature for more than fifty years, a number of observations remain debatable because of possible confusion between migraine and epileptic seizure clinical manifestations, including hemifield visual hallucinations, digestive signs and severe headache.
Observation:
We report on the case of a young patient suffering from both diseases, in whom a visual aura preceded either migraine attacks or epileptic generalized tonic-clonic seizure. Subtle modification in the primitive visual hallucination, which suddenly contained colored figures and was accompanied by fear before a prolonged loss of contact, suggested a continuum between migraine aura and epileptic seizure in this patient. Brain MRI was normal and EEG showed some sharp waves in the right posterior area.
Conclusion:
The presence of a neurophysiological continuum between migrainous aura and epileptic seizure is supported by this observation of "migralepsy". Recent findings from genetic and epidemiological studies further support this link.
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