Semantic Content of Visual Consequent Stimuli Modulates Audiovisual Learning in Migraine

Acquired equivalence learning relies on associating different antecedent stimuli with shared outcomes and is mediated by the basal ganglia and hippocampus. Audiovisual associative learning benefits from multisensory integration, which may be disrupted in migraine. Previous studies indicated altered performance in such learning paradigms. This study investigated whether the semantic content of consequent visual stimuli influence audiovisual associative equivalence learning in adult migraine patients.

30 adult migraine patients completed two audiovisual learning tests: the SoundFace test (cartoon faces as visual consequents) and the SoundPolygon test (simple geometric shapes). Both used the same four auditory antecedents. Participants completed acquisition with feedback, retrieval of learned associations, and generalization to novel stimulus combinations. Performance was assessed by the number of trials required to learn, error ratios during each phase, and average response times.

Patients performed significantly better in the SoundFace test than in the SoundPolygon test. They required fewer acquisition trials, committed fewer errors across all phases, and showed shorter reaction times. No significant differences were observed between migraine patients and controls in the SoundPolygon test.

Simpler visual consequents elicited reduced audiovisual learning performance in patients, consistent with a previous control study. However, no impaired learning performance was found relative to controls when reduced visual consequents were applied. Migraine patients outperformed controls in the SoundFace test previously. These findings suggest that while reduced semantic content impairs audiovisual learning, migraine patients show preserved performance compared to controls. The results may reflect compensatory mechanisms preserving cognitive function in migraine.