SCIENTISTS HAVE identified the gene responsible for heredity migraine problems. A study claims that a defective “TRESK” gene is common in families with long history of severe migraine.
This gene was found to be directly attributable as a cause and could be dysfunctional in one in five women and one in 10 men worldwide who suffer from migraine.
Dr Zameel Cader from the University of Oxford who led the research said, “We have now made a major step forward in our understanding of why people suffer with migraine and how in certain cases, your family can literally give you a headache.”
A migraine is a severe, long-lasting headache usually felt as a throbbing pain at the front or on one side of the head.
Some people can have a warning visual disturbance before the start of the headache called an aura and many people also have symptoms, such as nausea and sensitivity to light during the headache itself.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) rates migraine as a leading cause of disability worldwide and it has been estimated to be the most costly neurological disorder in Europe.
DNA sampling of people with common familial migraine was used to identify the defect. According to the study, a mutation causes complete loss of function of the TRESK gene. Dysfunctional expression of this gene has been linked to increase in sensitivity of pain centres in the brain causing severe migraines.
This new discovery opens doors to new focused research around migraine cures and maybe even reliable treatment for the common form of migraine.
Dr Cader adds, “What we’ve found is that migraine seem to depend on how sensitive our nerves are in the pain centres. This finding should help lead to the key player which controls this excitability and will give us a real opportunity to find a new way to fight migraines and improve the quality of life for those suffering.”
The study published in the journal Nature Medicine on Sunday, was a collaborative effort by scientists from Canada and the UK and was funded by the Medical Research Council, London.