Quantitative oculomotor findings in migrainous patients

Background: Neurotologic signs and symptoms, especially vestibular symptoms are common in migrainous patients. Involvement of the visual system in migrainures has received a great deal of attention in recent years, but the oculomotor part of the visual system has been largely ignored. The goal of this study was to investigate some parts of the central vestibular system using the oculomotor part of videonystagmographic evaluation, including spontaneous nystagmus, gaze-evoked nystagmus, smooth pursuit, saccade and optokinetic ystagmus interictally in migrainous patients.

Methods: In this case-control study, 30 patients with migraine and 38 healthy volunteers within the age range of 18-48 years old were included spontaneous nystagmus; gaze-evoked nystagmus in right, left and up sides, smooth pursuit, optokinetic nystagmus using three different velocities and saccade test performed in both groups. The data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows 18.0.

Results: Some parameters of gain and phase and also morphology of the smooth pursuit, velocity of the saccade and slow phase velocity of optokinetic were significantly different in migrainures, although the statistical differences of these parameters were not clinically important as they were in the normal range of a defined device.

Conclusion: These results may suggest the presence of subtle otoneurologic abnormalities in migrainous patients that is probably due to the efficiency of oculomotor function with vestibulocerebellar origin.