Researchers have identified three genes associated with migraines and found that people who inherit one of these genes have a risk of ten to fifteen percent higher than the condition.
Migraines, an abnormality in the nerve cell response to stimuli, is characterized by severe headaches and recurrent, often resulting in nausea, as well as sensitivity to light and sounds.
By examining genetic data from more than 23,000 women, including 5.000 who suffered from migraines, the researchers found an association between headaches and variations in three genes: the TRPM8, which has to do with sensitivity to cold and pain; the LRP1, a gene that has to do with the transmission of signals between neurons, and PRDM16.
“Although not yet fully understood to migraines, and its underlying causes are difficult to determine, identify three genetic variants helps to illuminate the biological roots of this common and debilitating condition,” he said in a news release from the Brigham and Women’s, the study’s lead author, Dr. Daniel Chasman, assistant professor in the division of preventive medicine at the hospital and the Faculty of Medicine, Harvard. A migraine expert said the findings are “very exciting.”
“It was long thought that migraine is more commonly a disease of multiple genes, potentially contributing many genetic variations,” noted Dr. Audrey Halpern, assistant clinical professor of neurology department Langone Medical Center at NYU New York City. “Clearly now understand that migraine is a condition characterized by disorganized sensory processing.”
Although the study authors said the findings are encouraging, said that more research is needed to better understand how each of these three genes associated with migraine. Halpern concurred that more study needed to discover the genetics of migraine.
“This current research will help us understand more fully what happens in a migraine, but there is more to learn,” he said. “We’ve always known that it is a genetic condition, but in the last ten years we have learned that it is a neurological condition. This study brings together two ideas.”
Tags: