and may explain the mechanisms underlying common symptoms and increased activity in certain brain regions in migraine patients.
In a new study, the prevalence of dizziness was 65% among patients with migraine who underwent a virtual roller-coaster ride versus 30% among those without migraine. In addition, imaging showed greater neuronal activity after the simulation in those with migraine.
“Migraine patients reported more dizziness and motion sickness, as well as longer symptom duration and intensity, in a virtual roller-coaster ride,” even though the videos and timing were identical for both groups, said study investigator Arne May, MD, PhD, professor of neurology at the University of Hamburg (Germany).
“We found differences not just in behavioral results but also in specific activations of areas within the cerebellum and the frontal gyrus. Migraine patients process such visual input differently from controls and activate a specific brain network to do so,” he added.
The findings were published online July 21, 2021, in Neurology.
The brain’s response
Nausea, which is among the diagnostic criteria for migraine, is the main symptom of motion sickness. Vestibular symptoms such as dizziness are also components of migraine.
Previous research has examined how the brain processes visual and motion stimuli in migraine, but the reasons patients with migraine are susceptible to motion sickness and dizziness remain unclear.
The researchers used a simulated roller-coaster ride to study the clinical and brain responses to motion among participants with and participants without migraine. They enrolled 20 consecutive patients with migraine who presented to a tertiary headache clinic between January and March 2020 and enrolled 20 healthy participants from a university hospital and the community. The average age of the study population was 30 years, and more than 80% were women.
In response to a questionnaire, participants provided information about demographics and headache features, including onset, frequency, and intensity. They also provided information about their status within the migraine phase and about vestibular symptoms experienced in daily life.
While undergoing functional MRI (fMRI), all participants watched two short videos that provided a first-person perspective of a roller-coaster ride. During the videos, they wore ear buds that conveyed the sound of a car riding over the rails.
The first video included more horizontal perspectives, and the second had more vertical perspectives. Each video was shown three times in random order.
During fMRI, participants reported intensity of nausea and vestibular symptoms using an 11-point Likert scale. After the experiment, they responded to a questionnaire that evaluated intensity and duration of nausea, dizziness, and vertigo experienced during the videos.
Participants also were given the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ), which assessed motion sickness. A 100-point visual analog scale (VAS) was used to rate how realistic the roller-coaster experience had been.
There were no differences in sex or age between the migraine group and the healthy control group. Half of the patients with migraine reported aura. The mean number of migraine attacks within the previous month was 3.7. The mean Migraine Disability Assessment score was 21.5, which indicates severe disability.