Patterns sometimes seen by
migraine sufferers, often very similar to those seen by individuals using
hallucinogens. Some get the effect without the pain of the
migraine.
Visual symptoms are the most frequent (99%), followed by
sensory (31%),
aphasic (18%), and
motor (6%)
symptoms (according to a study done at the
University of Copenhagen). The typical
visual aura starts as a flickering, uncoloured, zig-zag line in the centre of the visual field and affect the central
vision. It gradually progresses towards the
periphery of one
hemifield and often leaves a
scotoma. The typical
sensory aura is
unilateral, starts in the hand, progresses towards the arm and then affects the face and tongue. The typical
motor aura is half-sided and affects the hand and arm.
Some would suggest that the
migraine aura is actually the
brain apprehending its own
subroutines in
consciousness. The fact that there are
natural equivalents to
drug-induced experiences suggests the possibility that in some sense, a sufferer is observing what's going on in the brain. The
drugged or migrained brain is a cranked-up
biochemical computer capable of picturing the self-organizing behavior and
nonlinear dynamism at play within normally
staid reality.