An international consortium of leading migraine scientists identified more than 120 regions of the genome that are connected to risk of migraine. The groundbreaking study helps researchers better understand the biological basis of migraine and its subtypes and could speed up the search for new treatment of the condition, which affects over a billion individuals wordwide.
In the largest genome study of migraine yet, researchers have more than tripled the number of known genetic risk factors for migraine. Among the identified 123 genetic regions are two that contain target genesof recently developed migraine-specific drugs.
The study involved leading migraine research groups in Europe, Australia and the United States working together to pool genetic data from more than 873,000 study participants, 102,000 of whom had migraine.
The new findings, published on February 3, 2022 in the journal Nature Genetics, also uncovered more of the genetic architecture of migraine subtypes than was previously known.
Neurovascular mechanisms underlie migraine pathophysiology
Migraine is a very common brain disorder with over a billion patients worldwide. The exact cause of migraine is unknown, but it is believed to be a neurovascular disorder with disease mechanisms both within the brain and the blood vessels of the head….
Medical Xpress, (2022, February 3), Largest genetic study of migraines to date reveals new genetic risk factors
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-02-largest-genetic-migraines-date-reveals.html