Genetic Link Discovered for Migraines

A new study may have found a common reason why many people get migraines, a mutation in a gene that results in the accumulation of glutamate in the spaces between neurons.

This new research is among the first to find a specific genetic variant associated with a heightened risk for the most common types of migraines, including migraines with and without aura, although the link to migraines with aura was stronger, according to the study.

An international team of researchers compared the genomes of more than 3,000 people in Finland, Germany and The Netherlands with a sample population of 10,000 people who do not get migraines. Their research focused on the connection between a gene known as EAAT2 and an associated protein whose job it is to clear glutamate from brain synapses in the brain. Researchers say that the EAAT2 gene has figured in other neurological diseases, including epilepsy, schizophrenia and various mood and anxiety disorders.

The findings indicate that a buildup of that chemical, called glutamate, may play a role in the mechanism of migraines.

Chronic migraines afflict some 300 million people globally, including approximately 1 in 6 women and 1 in 12 men. Severe head pain is often accompanied by nausea and extreme sensitivity to light and sound, according to the Mayo Clinic. With this discovery, possible therapies may be developed to treat the underlying cause of the common migraine. Other areas of research that will most likely be done in the future may help determine if there are other genetic variants involved in migraines.

The research was released online in this week’s issue of Nature Genetics.