Migraine sufferers may feel less pounding after a new discovery gets further researched. Scientists at University of California, San Francisco report discovering the first gene involved in typical migraines, which could lead to better treatments for the millions of people affected by serious headaches.
In a mouse model of migraine and in cell culture in the laboratory, the research team linked a genetic mutation with evidence of migraines in humans,
"This is the first gene in which mutations have been shown to cause a very typical form of migraine," said senior investigator Louis J. Ptácek, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and a professor of neurology at UCSF, according to a statement. "It's our initial glimpse into a black box that we don't yet understand."
Experiments showed that mice, like people with migraines, were very sensitive to touch, light and sound.
"Obviously, we can't measure headache in a mouse," Ptácek noted, "but there are other things that go along with migraine that we can measure."
According to The Telegraph, professor Andrew Charles, a researcher from the University of California, Los Angeles, said: "There simply hasn't been enough attention paid to migraine as a major cause of disability worldwide.
"Compared to other common medical problems relatively little research has been done on the cause of migraine and its potential treatments. We desperately need a better understanding of the condition and new treatments so that we are better able to help these many people whose lives are devastated by the disorder."
The research "puts us one step closer to understanding the molecular pathway to pain in migraine," Ptácek said. "And, as we come to a clearer understanding, we can start thinking about better therapies. Certain molecules might be targets for new drugs." There are good drugs now, said Ptácek, "but they only help some patients, some of the time. The need for better treatments is huge."
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