Stripes are ubiquitous in modern life, from City shirts and barcodes, to Venetian blinds and zebra crossings 
 
 But a new study suggests they might be making us ill. 
 
 Scientists in the Netherlands and the US have discovered that for some people, simply looking at vertical lines, either on a static image, or in real life, can trigger a neural loop of activity in the brain. 
 
 In severe cases it can lead to epilepsy, but researchers think it might also be responsible for migraines. 
 
 Around one in seven people suffer migraines in Britain and the cause if often unknown. But the study authors believe that stripes in clothing, buildings or public artworks could be triggering disabling headaches, particularly in people who are already sensitive to light. 
 
 They suggest decking, radiators, escalators, repetitive brickwork and even the stripes on awnings or deckchairs could set off attacks, seizures, or just a vague feeling of unease. 
 
 "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 of the University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht in the Netherlands. 
 
 "Even perfectly healthy people may feel modest discomfort from the images that are most likely to trigger seizures in photosensitive epilepsy." ||||| New research shows that stripes are hard for our brains to process – and looking at some everyday objects could trigger a migraine 
 
 Name: Stripes. 
 
 Age: Younger than us. 
 
 Appearance: Really? 
 
 Younger than us? I’m pretty sure things have been striped since the 1950s, at least. My mum had a skirt. And there are rainbows. And zebras. And sabre-toothed tigers. They’re ancient. Sabre-toothed tigers are usually thought to have been plain or spotted, but I take your point. 
 
 Thank you. I am talking about very regular, crisply rendered stripes, which are a relatively modern phenomenon and one we evolved without. 
 
 And why are you suddenly talking about modern, crisply rendered stripes? Scientists think they may be the trigger for some migraines and epileptic fits. 
 
 Really? Yes. Research from the Netherlands and the US just published in the journal Current Biology suggests that looking at intensely stripy things causes an increase in gamma oscillations in the brain, which are associated with headaches and seizures. 
 
 What does this mean? It means that you shouldn’t eat a Wall’s Viennetta while wearing a pinstripe suit in a room full of venetian blinds. 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Zebras have irregular patterns of stripes, which are easier for our brains to process. Photograph: Riccardo Gangale/AP 
 
 I see. It seems that our brains are not designed to cope with such extreme regularity, as it doesn’t occur in nature. The researchers found that once they distorted the lines slightly or blurred their edges, the oscillations died down. 
 
 I do always feel a bit weird when I look at escalators and stuff. My eyes go funny. That is because your brain is going funny. 
 
 Because these kind of stripes aren’t supposed to be happening? Exactly. Your brain has a sort of zebra-comfort zone. Anything that could be used as camouflage as you roam the savanna is processable. Anything that requires a geometry set or computer to design – not so much. 
 
 I’d better cancel that seven-layer cake I ordered for my birthday. I don’t want to set anyone off. Actually, horizontal stripes aren’t as bad as vertical. 
 
 Why? No one knows. Maybe our brains are just clever enough to make an exception that allows for pudding. You could have that Viennetta too. 
 
 NOW it’s a party. Happy birthday to you. 
 
 Do say: “Another reason to ban venetian blinds – hurrah!” 
 
 Don’t say: “Can I still watch the 1981 military buddy comedy movie Stripes, starring Bill Murray?”
– If you have an unreasonable fear of escalators, there may be something to it—but the problem involves looking at one, not stepping on it. Researchers report in the journal Current Biology that just looking at the rigid, geometric pattern of stripes—even still images of them—affects our brain in a way that in extreme cases can produce seizures and migraines. Objects as seemingly innocuous as radiator grills "can be provocative," one expert tells the Telegraph, and patients with pattern-sensitive epilepsy have to cover them as a preventive measure. "Vertical orientation of stripes are in general worse than horizontal," says one researcher. "Examples of striped patterns that are potentially provocative in daily life are rolling stairs, venetian blinds, striped clothes, and buildings." While the exact reason why is still a mystery, scientists say that stripe patterns increase our brains' gamma oscillations, which are linked to both headaches and seizures. One hypothesis is that because the "extreme regularity" of things like blinds and escalators does not exist in nature—even the stripes of zebras aren't perfectly patterned—our brains have not evolved to cope with them, reports the Guardian. As researchers blurred the edges of lines or distorted them slightly, those oscillations reduced. They issued a warning with their findings, but added that "even perfectly healthy people may feel modest discomfort from the images that are most likely to trigger seizures in photosensitive epilepsy." Next the team hopes to develop a model to predict which images are most likely to provoke these episodes. (Dozens of people tried to induce a seizure in this reporter.)