Elucidating the pathophysiological signature of visual snow

This research aims to further our understanding of 'visual snow' (VS), a complex neurological condition that manifests in a range of debilitating visual symptoms including a persistent positive visual disturbance described as pixelated static across the entire visual field. Unfortunately, VS has been largely overlooked by the medical community, often dismissed erroneously as either a migraine variant, or more disturbingly, as a psychogenic condition. Subsequently, little research has been conducted in VS. We, among others, have begun to establish VS as a neurological and not psychological condition, the evidence suggesting that the source of dysfunction lies within thalamocortical neural pathways. Clarification of the underlying neuropathology of VS is crucial to the development of effective treatment strategies. We will therefore utilise a range of behavioural and imaging techniques to explore disruption to pathways interconnecting the thalamus with prefrontal and parietal cortices.