Massive Genetic Study Zeros in on Migraine

In a massive study led by an international team of researchers, 5 new genetic regions linked to migraine have been discovered.

And when I say massive, I mean massive.  Researchers working with the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute took the results of 29 different genetic studies, involving over 100,000 samples from both migraine patients and controls.

So in plain numbers, what was discovered?

• 5 genetic regions linked to migraine onset, discovered for the first time.
• 12 genetic regions total associated with migraine susceptibility
• 134 genetic regions that are possibly associated to migraine susceptibility

Now, imagine that migraine involves a web of factors, including genetic factors.  You can’t just say that “this one” causes migraine, and change it.  You have to understand how things are linked together – how they impact each other – how they interact.

And that’s just what these researchers are doing.  For example, 8 of the 12 regions were related to maintaining healthy brain tissue and function.

Some also related to an issue called oxidative stress.  This relates to the body’s ability to detoxify and heal.

This is “early release” information – just a teaser – because the work is far from done.  The research will be continuing, and will only be half done by the end of 2014.

But working together (patient, doctor, researcher), we will likely come up with a lot more insight into migraine even before that.

For more, read:  Getting to grips with migraine