Magnetoencephalographic fields from patients with spontaneous and induced migraine aura

SM Bowyer, SK Aurora, JE Moran… - Annals of Neurology …, 2001 - Wiley Online Library
SM Bowyer, SK Aurora, JE Moran, N Tepley, KMA Welch
Annals of Neurology: Official Journal of the American Neurological …, 2001Wiley Online Library
We investigate and characterize the magnetoencephalographic waveforms from patients
during spontaneous and visually induced migraine aura. Direct current neuromagnetic fields
were measured during spontaneous onset of migraine auras in 4 migraine patients, and
compared with recordings from 8 migraine‐with‐aura patients and 6 normal controls during
visual stimulation of the occipital cortex. Complex direct current magnetoencephalographic
shifts, similar in waveform, were observed in spontaneous and visually induced migraine …
Abstract
We investigate and characterize the magnetoencephalographic waveforms from patients during spontaneous and visually induced migraine aura. Direct current neuromagnetic fields were measured during spontaneous onset of migraine auras in 4 migraine patients, and compared with recordings from 8 migraine‐with‐aura patients and 6 normal controls during visual stimulation of the occipital cortex. Complex direct current magnetoencephalographic shifts, similar in waveform, were observed in spontaneous and visually induced migraine patients, but not in controls. Two‐dimensional inverse imaging showed multiple cortical areas activated in spontaneous and visually induced migraine aura patients. In normal subjects, activation was only observed in the primary visual cortex. Results support a spreading, depression‐like neuroelectric event occurring during migraine aura that can arise spontaneously or be visually triggered in widespread regions of hyperexcitable occipital cortex.
Wiley Online Library