May 1, 2013 — A gene mutation associated with a rare sleep disorder surprisingly also contributes to debilitating migraines, a new discovery that could change the treatment of migraines by allowing development of drugs specifically designed to treat the chronic headaches.
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Further study is needed to understand how this genetic pathway relates to migraines. But the finding is exciting because it most likely will shed light on all types of migraines, meaning hundreds of millions of people worldwide could benefit, according to K.C. Brennan, M.D., University of Utah assistant professor of neurology and first author of a study published May 1, 2013, in Science Translational Medicine.
"We don't get the chance very often to isolate one molecule that we're confident is related to migraines," Brennan says. "Once we understand which molecules and cells this mutation changes, we can develop drugs specifically targeted to them."
The mutation occurs when an enzyme, CKI
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See Also:
Further study is needed to understand how this genetic pathway relates to migraines. But the finding is exciting because it most likely will shed light on all types of migraines, meaning hundreds of millions of people worldwide could benefit, according to K.C. Brennan, M.D., University of Utah assistant professor of neurology and first author of a study published May 1, 2013, in Science Translational Medicine.
"We don't get the chance very often to isolate one molecule that we're confident is related to migraines," Brennan says. "Once we understand which molecules and cells this mutation changes, we can develop drugs specifically targeted to them."
The mutation occurs when an enzyme, CKI