Headache-specific hyperexcitation sensitises and habituates on different time scales: An event related potential study of pattern-glare

Abstract

Abstract: Cortical hyperexcitability is a key pathophysiological feature in several neurological disorders, including migraine, epilepsy, tinnitus, and Alzheimer's disease. We examined the temporal characteristics of Event Related Potentials (ERPs) in a healthy population using the Pattern Glare Test, a diagnostic tool used to assess patients with sensitivity to cortical hyperexcitability. In pre-experiment questionnaires, participants reported their susceptibility to a range of symptoms. A factor analysis over these responses identified three variables, with the one we investigate in this paper loading strongly on headache symptoms, e.g. headache frequency. We investigated two timeframes: habituation over the course of the entire experiment and sensitization over the course of a sequence of stimulus presentations. We found evidence of hyperexcitability at electrodes over visual cortex, for the aggravating stimulus (grating of ∼3 cycles/deg). Participants higher on the headache factor exhibited a higher degree of habituation and sensitization, with evidence that the level of sensitization habituated through the course of the experiment. These findings suggest that the same experimental paradigm and analysis should be performed on a clinically diagnosed population.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100271
Divisions: College of Health & Life Sciences > School of Psychology
College of Health & Life Sciences
Aston University (General)
Additional Information: Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/4.0/
Publication ISSN: 2666-9560
Data Access Statement: Supplementary data to this article can be found online at:<br/>https://doi. org/10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100271.
Last Modified: 30 Jun 2025 07:25
Date Deposited: 27 Jun 2025 11:04
Full Text Link:
Related URLs: https://www.sci ... 039X?via%3Dihub (Publisher URL)
PURE Output Type: Article
Published Date: 2025-09-01
Published Online Date: 2025-06-24
Accepted Date: 2025-06-06
Authors: Dogan, Cihan
Miller, Claire E
Jefferis, Tom
Saranti, Margarita
Tempesta, Austyn J
Schofield, Andrew J (ORCID Profile 0000-0002-0589-4678)
Palaniappan, Ramaswamy
Bowman, Howard

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