Kinematic analysis of multisensory integration and sensory load induced fatigue in migraine

Individuals with migraine frequently experience performance deterioration during repetitive sensory tasks. This study aimed to investigate the behavioral and temporal dynamics of this deterioration under multisensory load. We analyzed sensory profile assessment and kinematic data during a continuous sensorimotor tracking task with sequentially added visual, auditory, semantic-numeric, and somatosensory stimuli from 36 female participants (15 interictal migraine without aura (MwoA), mean age 21.6 ± 3.36 years; 21 healthy controls, mean age 20.81 ± 0.93 years). Kinematic data were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models, focusing on tracking error and temporal lag. During the unimodal visual baseline, sensorimotor skill acquisition was intact without any temporal lag in the MwoA group. Adding sensory cues reduced tracking error in the healthy group, indicating facilitated multisensory integration, while no change was observed in the MwoA group. Addition of sensory cues triggered a progressive phase lag; the final addition of continuous somatosensory input resulted in a significant temporal delay in the MwoA group. Cumulative temporal delay positively correlated with the patients' sensory sensitivity score. Collectively, these findings indicate that the interictal migraine brain struggles to align and integrate complex, cross-modal information temporally, suggesting a critical vulnerability to processing fatigue under continuous environmental load.