Why do people get seizures from blinking lights?

Question

Why do people get seizures from blinking lights?

In: 4

Answer 1

Every stimulus produces a corresponding neural signal in the brain. Repeating stimuli produce repeating signals.

Seizures are a cascade of rhythmic but uncoordinated neural signals which follow uncontrolled and looped signal paths. As neural signals travel around the loop, they feed back and amplify, much like how putting a microphone next to an PA speaker creates feedback.

In people prone to seizures (i.e. epilepsy) the repeating signal from a blinking light can excite a neural feedback loop to begin growing until it creates a cascade of feedback. In people not prone to seizures, these feedback loops are moderated and dampened enough to avoid a feedback cascade.