A new study has found a genetic mutation that can be associated with migraines, according to Fox News.
According to research from the University of California, San Francisco, the gene is called casein kinase I deltam or CKldelta.
Louis J. Ptacek, the senior investigator in the study and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of California, said this new information marks the first time a genetic mutation is associated with a regular migraine.
“It’s our initial glimpse into a black box that we don’t yet understand,” Ptacek said in a news release.
Over 30 million Americans experience migraines. However, scientists are not sure why they occur. Symptoms of migraines include extreme headaches, sensitivity to light and possible nausea.
The researchers studied two families that had a history of migraines. The study revealed a significant amount of family members who suffered from migraines also had the mutated gene or had a parent with the mutated gene.
The researchers were able to display how the mutation has an effect on the gene’s production. CKldelta is important to many functions of the brain and body.
“This tells us that the mutation has real biochemical consequences,” Ptacek added.
After studying the family members, scientists studied how the mutated CKldelta affected a line of mice.
The study found that mice with the mutated gene were not able to bear nitroglycerin-induced pain as well as those without the gene.
Scientists were also able to copy the feeling of a migraine in the mice through a technique called cortical spreading depression. CSD is a string of electrical ‘silence’ that comes after stimulation from electricity. Much like the previous test, mice with the mutated gene did not handle the migraine sensation very well.
Ptacek’s team also discovered that, astrocytes—cells that are important for neuronal functioning and health—in the brains of the mice with the mutation showed a heightened amount of calcium-signaling. The amount of signaling in the mice without the mutation was not as high.
“This is significant because we think astrocyte functioning is very, very relevant to migraine,” said Ptacek. “This is an enzyme, and so it modifies proteins. The question is, which protein or proteins does it modify that is relevant to migraine? How does it change astrocyte activity?”
According to Ptacek, the research “puts us one step closer to understanding the molecular pathway to pain in migraine.”
Ptacke said this new research has the potential to aid in the treatment of migraines. He also believes this mutation is the first of many to be discovered in connection to migraines.
The study was published May 1 in Science Translational Medicine.
