Investigation of Frequency-Specific Loudness Discomfort Levels in Listeners With Migraine: A Case-Control Study.
Angeliki Mourgela, Michail Vikelis, Joshua D Reiss
PMID 36790444WHAT IT FOUND
Listeners with migraine found sounds mildly uncomfortable at lower levels than controls across 12 of 13 tested frequencies, with mid-to-high frequencies most affected.
Key findings
01Participants with migraine had smaller audible-to-mildly-uncomfortable ranges at 12 of 13 tested frequencies.
02The most affected frequencies were mid to high, especially 400 to 10,000 Hz.
03Testing during an attack showed smaller average ranges across frequencies, but no individual frequency reached significance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study used an online self-report test, so hearing thresholds, headache diagnosis, medication use, severity, and attack status were not objectively confirmed. Participants used their own headphones and rooms, so equipment and listening conditions may have affected comfort levels. The groups were not matched, and the migraine group had 46 female and 8 male participants, so sex differences were not analysed. Subgroup analyses were small, so null findings for medication, chronic versus episodic migraine, and severity should be treated cautiously. The study did not measure psychosocial factors such as stress or sound associations, which can affect hypersensitivity. It was a case-control comparison, not a treatment trial, so it cannot show that sound discomfort caused migraine or that any intervention would help.
Declared interests
This study was funded by EPSRC Industrial CASE (BBC) Grant No. 18000036. The paper does not state author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that treating migraine or filtering sound will reduce discomfort. This was a case-control comparison of comfort thresholds in 49 nonmigraineur and 55 migraineur participants, not a test of any intervention.