Responses to temporal visual stimuli in migraine: the critical flicker fusion test.

Reports of sensitivity to striped patterns and to flickering lights are not uncommon in migraineurs. Only recently, however, have objective methods been used to assess the visual sensitivity of these patients, with emphasis on their responses to spatial stimuli; responses to temporal information have been largely neglected on an experimental level. The "critical flicker fusion" (CFF) test was performed by 25 migraineurs with aura, 25 migraineurs without aura, and 25 control subjects. The CFF test is a quick, simple technique which provides information concerning the temporal responsiveness of the visual system; a sensitivity threshold is measured. A significant group difference between the migraineurs without aura and the control subjects emerged (p = 0.01). Control subjects had the highest CFF threshold, migraineurs with aura the next highest, and migraineurs without aura the lowest threshold.