The results shown that for some people, simply looking at striped patterns, can trigger a neural loop of activity in the brain, which causes headaches, migraines, and in severe cases, epilepsy.
Scientists found that parallel lines triggered strong "gamma oscillations" in the brain in a way that other patterns did not. Also, when they manipulated pictures of black and white stripes so the vertical lines were wider, the gamma oscillation activity declined in subjects.
Researchers think because repetitive straight lines are rare in the natural world, human brains are not prepared to deal with such images. They wish the findings could be taken into account by architects and designers in order to help those sensitive to migraines.
"Our findings imply that in designing buildings, it may be important to avoid the types of visual patterns that can activate this circuit and cause discomfort, migraines, or seizures," said Dr. Dora Hermes, a researcher at UMC.
"Even perfectly healthy people may feel modest discomfort from the images that are most likely to trigger seizures in photosensitive epilepsy."
Source: Telegraph
