In a large-scale genome study, researchers have identified some of the biological roots of migraine associated with the cause and triggers of disease attacks.
The study conducted by the researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in UK found 12 genetic regions related to migraine susceptibility.
The team unraveled that five of the identified regions of DNA containing genes linked to the onset of migraine.
“This study has greatly advanced our biological insight about the cause of migraine,” says Dr Aarno Palotie, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.
To underlie the disease susceptibilities, the scientists compared the results from 29 different genomic studies, including over 100,000 samples of healthy and affected people.
“We would not have made discoveries by studying smaller groups of individuals and this large scale method of studying means we can tease out the genes that are important suspects and follow them up in the lab,” said the study co-author Doctor Gisela Terwindt from Leiden University Medical Centre.
The results demonstrate that some of the regions of susceptibility are located close to a network of genes that are sensitive to oxidative stress, Å“a biochemical process that results in the dysfunction of cells.”
The analysis also shows that many of the genes located at genetic regions are interconnected and able to potentially be disrupting the internal regulation of tissue and cells in the brain, resulting in some of the symptoms of migraine.
Migraine, which is a debilitating disorder that affects approximately 14% of adults, has recently been recognized as the seventh disabler in the Global Burden of Disease Survey 2010.
Migrane is also estimated to be the most costly neurological disorder as well as an extremely difficult disorder to study because no biomarkers between or during attacks have been identified so far.
“Migraine and epilepsy are particularly difficult neural conditions to study; between episodes the patient is basically healthy so it’s extremely difficult to uncover biochemical clues,” Dr Palotie explained.
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Republished with permission from:: Press TV