Sensory Discomfort Across the Migraine Cycle
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Sensory discomfort is a core complaint in migraine, particularly during the migraine headache, and fluctuates over the migraine cycle. Here, we examine the potential for monitoring sensory discomfort as a predictive symptom of approaching migraine pain. Two studies were conducted. For Study 1, we assessed sensory sensitivities using standardized self-report questionnaires across multiple sensory modalities to identify the sensory domains where individuals with migraine (with and without aura; tested during a non-headache phase) exhibit greater discomfort than headache-free individuals. We found that individuals with migraine reported greater discomfort in visual, odor, and tactile modalities interictally compared to headache-free individuals, but not in the auditory modality or in their susceptibility to motion sickness. Study 2 was a prospective daily diary study, lasting 30 days; here, we asked a group of individuals with migraine (with and without aura) to report on their sensory discomfort using modified (for daily use) versions of the same questionnaires used in Study 1. While we found that sensory discomfort was maximal during the day of migraine pain, we also found that discomfort increased the day prior to the head pain in visual (for migraine with aura only) and in auditory modalities (for both migraine with and without aura). This highlights the utility of tracking sensory discomfort to predict approaching migraine pain but emphasizes the need for an individualized approach to ascertain which sensory modality best reflect the migraine cycle for the individual. This approach also provides insight into the changes in underlying neural mechanisms of migraine.
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7167621482