Search for headache genes

Wednesday June 26th, 2013

Researchers are moving closer to understanding some of the genetic contributors to migraine.

Dr Aarno Palotie of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridgeshire, UK, and colleagues carried out the largest migraine study to date, in order to discover genetic regions linked migraine. They believe a focus on genetics "is the most effective way to understand the biological causes and triggers behind this debilitating disorder".

They compared results from 29 different genome studies including more than 100,000 samples from migraine patients and similar individuals who do not suffer migraines.

They identified 12 genetic regions linked to migraine susceptibility, eight of which are in or near genes known to play a role in brain circuitries. Two of the regions are important for maintaining healthy brain tissue. Five of the regions had not previously been linked to migraine.

Some of the regions could be at risk of damage by oxidative stress, as they are in susceptible areas, the team say. All may be interconnected and disrupting each other, resulting in some of the symptoms of migraine.

Dr Palotie said: "This study has greatly advanced our biological insight about the cause of migraine. We have proven that this is the most effective approach to study this type of neurological disorder and understand the biology that lies at the heart of it."

Co-author Dr Gisela Terwindt added: "We would not have made discoveries by studying smaller groups of individuals. This large scale method of studying over 100,000 samples of healthy and affected people means we can tease out the genes that are important suspects and follow them up in the lab."

The study was published in Nature Genetics on Sunday (23 June).

Anttila, V. et al. Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies new susceptibility loci for migraine. Nature Genetics 23 June 2013 doi: 10.1038/ng.2676

Tags: Brain & Neurology | Genetics | Pain Relief | UK News

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