New brain scan study discovers possible biological basis of visual snow syndrome (August 9, 2023)

[brake]

New brain scan study discovers possible biological basis of visual snow syndrome

[brake]

Taken from the article:

"The five brain chemicals examined in this study were noradrenaline, dopamine, serotonin, glutamate and GABA.

Researchers found that in patients with VSS there were particular differences in the activity of glutamate and serotonin networks in specific areas of the brain. There was less synchronized activity (or functional connectivity) in the glutamate networks in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in those with VCC compared to healthy controls and those with migraine. The ACC is a hub for thinking and top-down control over sensory inputs and the different pattern of activity could represent an interruption in the filtering and integration of visual information.

Analysis also showed that VSS patients had reduced functional connectivity in the serotonin networks of the visual cortex, insula, temporal pole and orbitofrontal areas of the brains compared to healthy controls. This reduced connectivity in serotonin networks was also seen in migraine patients with aura suggesting a biological link between VSS and aura. The findings suggest that serotonin activity in VSS patients may be influencing the integration of complex sensory information.

The results did not find any differences for the other brain chemicals that were investigated in the study."

[Hall89]

Sure wish that they could've thrown in a few HPPD patients in the study.

Edited August 28, 2023 by Hall89