Patient Reports of Migraine Triggers Are Unreliable

Perception of bright or flickering light as a noxious stimulus may be a premonitory symptom of migraine, rather than the trigger of migraine with aura as patients perceive it.

Migraineurs commonly report triggers that can bring on an attack. Exposure to bright light and exercise are perhaps the most ubiquitous of these catalysts. Aiming to confirm patients' self-reported triggers, researchers recruited 27 patients with migraine with aura who reported personal triggering factors of bright or flickering light, strenuous exercise, or both. The researchers conducted provoking sessions with these stimuli and monitored patients for 3 hours after each session, followed by discharge with a symptom diary.

A total of three patients had episodes of migraine with aura following provocation; an additional patient had a migraine without aura. None of 11 patients with light provocation had a related attack. Four of 12 patients w…

Reviewing Author

Michael Eller, MD