This Is Your Migraine Brain. On A Roller Coaster.
Yes, this is indeed a serious article about a clinical trial that was published in the journal Neurology this summer. What happens when migraine patients go on a (virtual) roller coaster?
You may be thinking – why would someone with migraine go on a roller coaster anyway? You can set your mind at ease. Not of these patients was actually having a migraine attack at the time. Which is the whole point.
Migraine brains are simply different – even between attacks.
This was a small study with 40 people, 20 of whom suffer from migraine. During the roller coaster ride, migraine patients did experience more discomfort. They were:
- far more likely to experience motin sickness
- far more likely to be dizzy
…and their symptoms were more intense and lasted longer than the control group.
Researchers also measured brain activity of the people in the clinical trial and found that they were able to “see” differences in brain activity between the migraineurs and the controls. Some of the differences in brain activity matched what we already have seen in migraine, and parts of the brain that regular movement were also affected.
Study author Dr. Arne May discussed the purpose of the study:
People with migraine often complain of dizziness, balance problems and misperception of their body’s place in space during migraine. By simulating a virtual roller coaster ride, our study found that some of these problems are not only magnified in people who experience migraine, but they are also associated with changes in various areas of the brain. By identifying and pinpointing these changes, our research could lead to a better understanding of migraine which could in turn lead to the development of better treatments.
Arne May, MD, PhD quoted in ScienceDaily
We’ve already seen connections between motion sickness and migraine, and dizziness and migraine – and of course there’s vertigo and cyclic vomiting syndrome. Motion sickness may be a warning sign for other conditions later in life, and should never be ignored. And, of course, we’ve talked about vestibular migraine before.
This study is another reminder that migraine affects all of life, not just those times when the patient is having a migraine attack. It also strengthens the link between migraine and other motion-related conditions.
For those who do suffer from dizziness, or motion sickness, but not from migraine – be sure to talk to your doctor. These symptoms may be a sign that you’re more susceptible to migraine. Paying attention and even finding treatment early on may be a major help later in life.
For more, read the study abstract here: Brain Processing of a Visual Self-Motion Study in Patients With Migraine: An fMRI Study