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Visual noise overexcites those with migraine

Migraine sufferers appear to have more trouble ignoring visual distractions than other people, according to a new study.

Visual noise overexcites those with migraine

Migraine sufferers appear to have more trouble ignoring visual distractions than other people.

Migraine is a neurological disorder that is characterised by severe and recurring headaches, often on one side of the head. A current theory about migraines suggests that nerve cells in the brains of migraine sufferers are excitable, and exposure to certain triggers causes whole clusters of brain cells to become overactive, resulting in a migraine. Approximately one third of migraineurs experience visual disturbances (aura) including flashing lights, twinkling spots, or zig-zag patterns. A general characteristic of migraine with aura is hyperresponsivity to external stimuli, which may be a manifestation of increased neuronal excitability.

To explore the impact of visual distractions on migraine, researchers in U.K. studied 10 migraine sufferers with aura, ten without aura, and ten age-matched headache-free participants. The researchers asked migraine sufferers to pick out a small disk of light when it was presented with and without visual noise - an effect similar to the black-and-white snow on and off on  television.

It was found that without the visual noise, people with migraine were able to pick out the light disk as well as migraine-free people. But the migraine sufferers did significantly worse when the visual noise was added. The visual noise had the most impact on those who experience visual auras before a migraine.

The researchers attributed the above findings to the fact that visual noise on the display overexcites the nerve cells in the brain of the migraineurs. This in turn would have made it harder for a migraineur to see the disk.

The researchers recommended that those with migraine should avoid noisy environments, which may impair their performance. These might include computer screens and learning tools which have a lot of visual information on them.
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