The term scintillation is indebted to the Latin noun scintilla (spark). In a general sense, it is used as a synonym for the term *photopsia. In a more specific sense, it is used to denote the twinkling characteristic of the *unformed and *formed hallucinations occurring in a *migraine aura (i.e. * scintillating scotomata).
References
Sacks, O. (1992). Migraine. Revised and expanded. New York, NY: Vintage Books.
Dictionary of Hallucinations. J.D. Blom. 2010.