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MINNEAPOLIS – When experiencing the ups and downs of a virtual roller coaster, people with migraines have reported more dizziness and motion sickness than people without migraines, according to a new study published in July 7, 2021, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The researchers also found that people with migraines also had more nerve cell activity in certain areas of the brain during the virtual roller coaster ride and less activity in other areas. The researchers said this abnormal processing of visual movement stimuli in the brain was linked to migraine inability and increased sensitivity to motion sickness.
“Millions of people regularly suffer from painful and debilitating migraines which can reduce their quality of life,” said study author Arne May, MD, PhD, of the University of Hamburg in Germany. “People with migraine often complain of dizziness, problems with balance, and misperception of their body’s place in space during a migraine. By simulating a virtual roller coaster ride, our study found that some of these problems are not only magnified in people with migraine, but they are also associated with changes in various areas of the brain. By identifying and localizing these changes, our research could lead to a better understanding of migraine, which in turn could lead to the development of better treatments.
The study involved 20 people with migraine who were compared to 20 people without migraine. Participants were on average 30 years old and over 80% were women. People with migraine had an average of four migraines per month.
The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to perform brain scans of each participant as they watched videos to experience the virtual roller coaster rides. No participant had a migraine during the virtual rides. After the virtual rides, participants were asked about their perceived levels of dizziness, motion sickness and other symptoms.
Researchers found that 65% of people with migraine suffered from vertigo, compared to 30% of people without migraine. On a motion sickness questionnaire, which rated the intensity of symptoms on a scale of 1 to 180, migraine sufferers had an average score of 47, compared with an average score of 24 for people without migraine. People with migraine also experienced symptoms for longer, on average 1 minute and 19 seconds compared to an average of 27 seconds. Their symptoms were also more intense.
From brain scans, researchers were able to identify changes in nerve cell activity based on blood flow to certain areas of the brain. People with migraine had increased activity in five areas of the brain, including two areas of the occipital gyrus, the visual processing area of the brain, and reduced activity in two other areas, including the middle frontal gyrus. These brain changes were correlated with migraine disability and motion sickness scores.
“Another area of the brain where we found pronounced nerve cell activity in people with migraine was in the pontine nuclei, which helps regulate movement and other motor activities,” May said. “This increased activity could be linked to an abnormal transmission of visual, auditory and sensory information in the brain. Future research should now examine larger groups of people with migraine to see if our results can be confirmed.”
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The study was supported by the German Research Foundation.
Learn more about migraine at BrainandLife.org, the American Academy of Neurology’s free patient and caregiver magazine site focused on the intersection of neurological diseases and brain health. Follow Cerveau & Vie; on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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The American Academy of Neurology is the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscientists, with over 36,000 members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurological care. A neurologist is a physician with specialized training in the diagnosis, treatment and management of disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussions , Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.
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