Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38584260›Full record

ArticleThe journal of headache and pain2024

Alterations of the alpha rhythm in visual snow syndrome: a case-control study.

Antonia Klein, Sarah A Aeschlimann, Frederic Zubler, Adrian Scutelnic, Franz Riederer, Matthias Ertl, Christoph J Schankin

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The journal of headache and pain, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
3.1field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Antonia KleinDepartment of Neurology Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Rosenbühlgasse 25, Bern, CH-3010, Switzerland.
Sarah A AeschlimannDepartment of Neurology Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Rosenbühlgasse 25, Bern, CH-3010, Switzerland.
Frederic ZublerDepartment of Neurology Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Rosenbühlgasse 25, Bern, CH-3010, Switzerland.
Adrian ScutelnicDepartment of Neurology Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Rosenbühlgasse 25, Bern, CH-3010, Switzerland.
Franz RiedererDepartment of Neurology Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Rosenbühlgasse 25, Bern, CH-3010, Switzerland.
Matthias ErtlDepartment of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, CH 3010, Switzerland.
Christoph J SchankinDepartment of Neurology Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Rosenbühlgasse 25, Bern, CH-3010, Switzerland. christoph.schankin@insel.ch.
University of Bern · CHUniversity Hospital of Bern · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundVisual snow syndrome is a disorder characterized by the combination of typical perceptual disturbances. The clinical picture suggests an impairment of visual filtering mechanisms and might involve primary and secondary visual brain areas, as well as higher-order attentional networks. On the level of cortical oscillations, the alpha rhythm is a prominent EEG pattern that is involved in the prioritisation of visual information. It can be regarded as a correlate of inhibitory modulation within the visual network.

methodsTwenty-one patients with visual snow syndrome were compared to 21 controls matched for age, sex, and migraine. We analysed the resting-state alpha rhythm by identifying the individual alpha peak frequency using a Fast Fourier Transform and then calculating the power spectral density around the individual alpha peak (+/- 1 Hz). We anticipated a reduced power spectral density in the alpha band over the primary visual cortex in participants with visual snow syndrome.

resultsThere were no significant differences in the power spectral density in the alpha band over the occipital electrodes (O1 and O2), leading to the rejection of our primary hypothesis. However, the power spectral density in the alpha band was significantly reduced over temporal and parietal electrodes. There was also a trend towards increased individual alpha peak frequency in the subgroup of participants without comorbid migraine.

conclusionsOur main finding was a decreased power spectral density in the alpha band over parietal and temporal brain regions corresponding to areas of the secondary visual cortex. These findings complement previous functional and structural imaging data at a electrophysiological level. They underscore the involvement of higher-order visual brain areas, and potentially reflect a disturbance in inhibitory top-down modulation. The alpha rhythm alterations might represent a novel target for specific neuromodulation.

trial registrationwe preregistered the study before preprocessing and data analysis on the platform osf.org (DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/XPQHF , date of registration: November 19th 2022).

Indexed as

Alpha RhythmMigraine DisordersPerceptual DisordersCase-Control StudiesElectroencephalographyHumansVision DisordersVisual PerceptionAlpha rhythmEEGNetwork disorderThalamocortical dysrhythmiaVisual snow syndrome

Identifiers

PMID38584260
PMCPMC11000394
OpenAlexW4394064119

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.