Scientists Discover Genetic Cause for Migraine

BYU chemistry professor Emily Bates has discovered the genetic cause for migraine headaches.

The study is the first demonstration of a genetic cause for the common migraine and is an important step in the search for a cure.

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Migraine is a chronic disorder characterized by headache, nausea, vomiting or sensitivity to light and sound.

"I had migraines really frequently and severely. I would lose my vision, vomit uncontrollably - it would wipe out an entire day," Bates said.

She decided then as a high school student that she was going to work on migraines, that she was going to figure them out and help find a cure.

After earning a Ph.D. in genetics from Harvard, Bates did post-doctoral research with a team of geneticists led by Louis Ptacek at UC San Francisco's medical school.

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This gene hunting party worked with two families that appeared to have a dominantly inherited form of the affliction.

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The researchers zeroed in on genetic mutations these families had in common - mutations that affect production of a protein known as casein kinase delta.

To test whether this was a cause or a coincidence, Bates designed an experiment to determine whether the same genetic trait led to migraine symptoms in mice.

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"All sensations become amplified with migraines, including touch, heat, sound and light," Bates, who continued work on the project when she took a position at BYU in 2009, said.

The researchers observed this heightened sensitivity in the migraine mice in very subtle ways - from the warmth of a tiny light and the pressure of a single hair-like filament.

The findings are set to be published in Science Translational Medicine.

Source-ANI