On February 4, 2008, we've published an article Migraine ménage à deux. Research or Fetish? that outlined the efforts of Australian researches to identify the "migraine" gene. They used all the extra identical twins they had as lab-mice for this effort (seeing as Australia is overran with those and real lab-mice cost money).
Now, only a couple of month later, the resourceful Australians, with help of their Finnish colleagues, came up with first results. "Researchers identified one gene locus on chromosome 10q23, which showed significant evidence of genetic linkage in both populations studied as well as in the replication study. The gene locus was especially strongly linked to female migraineurs."
"All of these findings depended on the newly discovered aspect of migraine genetics: different types of pain - such as pain that pulsates or pain that is unilateral - are more closely linked to specific genetic loci than general pain", says Professor Aarno Palotie (University of Helsinki, Finland, and the Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.)
It is yet unknown what are the practical benefits of identifying chromosome 10q23 (the red dots on the picture, BTW). However, the science-types suggest that it will be important for "deciphering the migraine pathways and therefore discovering targets for future treatments".
We wish them the best of luck - genetic research on Migraine is a slow-going and very underdeveloped due to the many variations of it and complications brought by accompanying conditions.
But we need to know and soon - what part of our heads we need to put close to the microwaves in order to cause the necessary genetic mutation that will finally get rid us of these migraine headaches for good.
Related Article: Migraine ménage à deux. Research or Fetish?
link: Breakthrough In Migraine Genetics
Saturday
10q23, the Migraine Chromosome
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