scintillating scotoma: when the cortex fails, brilliant inner white light appears
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) April 6, 2026 Maarten Vergucht
During a migraine aura, a failing visual cortex produces brilliant, structured light rather than darkness. The conventional explanation—that Cortical Spreading Depression (CSD) generates this light through spontaneous excitation—is internally inconsistent because CSD consistently causes functional deficits (hemiparesis, numbness, aphasia) in other cortical regions. Three lines of evidence show the visual cortex is profoundly suppressed during aura: MEG data show collapse of alpha- and gamma-band rhythms; VEP studies show no response to external light; and novel SEEG recordings reveal a near-silent cortical signal precisely correlating with the scintillating scotoma. The paper extends this to near-death experiences, where intense light phenomena may correspond to the ultimate cortical silence of Terminal Spreading Depolarization. A double dissociation emerges: retinal ischaemia causes darkness, cortical ischaemia causes brilliant light, consistent with filter theory of consciousness.