title: Does the migraine aura reflect cortical organization?
abstract: Individuals suffering from classical migraine report an astonishing diversity of migraine auras. A frequently reported symptom is a visual hallucination known as fortification illusion (FI). Here we demonstrate that the typical zig-zag pattern of the FI can be reproduced using experimental data of orientation maps of the primary visual cortex (V1) assuming that a continuous excitation front propagates across V1. We put forward a model in which the cortical neurons within this excitation wave are activated sufficiently to contribute to conscious perception. It is shown that the discontinuous repetitive nature of the zig-zag pattern of the FI can reflect the specific layout of visual cortical orientation maps. Additionally, dynamic features of the FI are predicted based on our model.
authors.affiliation: Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Institut für Experimentelle Physik, Abteilung Biophysik, Universitätsplatz 2, D-39016 Magdeburg, Germany. dahlem@physik.uni-magdeburg.de
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dahlem
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Engelmann
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Löwel
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Müller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002415:Cats; D013181:Cortical Spreading Depression / Q000502:physiology*; D004594:Electrophysiology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D020325:Migraine with Aura / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D012607:Scotoma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*