Investigating Brain Function in People With and Without Visual Snow Syndrome Using Adaptation to Visual Stimuli

Not Applicable

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Visual Snow Syndrome; Migraine; Healthy

• Registration Number: NCT06961864
• Lead Sponsor: University of Minnesota

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to learn more about the brain pathways and activity involved in creating Visual Snow Syndrome (VSS). The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does VSS arise from spontaneous activity in brain pathways?

* Where in the brain does the activity contributing to VSS arise?

* How does brain activity contribute to VSS?

Participants will:

1. Undergo assessments and questionnaires to understand visual and mental symptoms, cognitive, and sensory function.

2. Make visual judgements based on images presented to them both inside and outside a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine.

3. Undergo scanning of their brain while inside of an MRI machine.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2025-04-29
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-04-29
• Status Verified: 2025-05
• Study Start: 2025-05
• Study First Posted: 2025-05-08
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-05-15
• Last Update Posted: 2025-05-16
• Primary Completion: 2030-03-31
• Study Completion: 2030-03-31

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 100

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Psychophysical Adaptation Task Performance	1.5-2 hours per session, with experiments divided across multiple (e.g., 3) sessions	Visual tasks will consist of perceptual judgments following adaptation (e.g., subject will report when internal or external / simulated visual snow appears the same on the left or right side of the screen). Measures will be compared for visual target stimuli in different task conditions and experiments, with the goal of understanding the neural basis of visual snow.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Measures	1-2 hours per session, with experiments split across multiple (e.g., 3) sessions	7 tesla fMRI data will be acquired during visual paradigms designed to measure neural responses with and without adaptation. FMRI data will be processed and analyzed to quantify the effect of adaptation across different regions in visual cortex.
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS)	1-2 hours	7 telsa MRS data will be acquired to quantify the concentration of different brain chemicals in brain areas including visual cortex.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Clinical Symptom Scores	1-2 hours	Measures of visual and mental symptoms, cognitive, and sensory function (e.g., Visual Snow Questionnaire), will be collected using self-report and interview methods. Scores will be compared across groups to differences in visual and mental symptoms in people with and without visual snow syndrome (VSS).

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Minnesota; 🇺🇸 Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States