Scientists have discovered genes that may be behind migraines,
“opening the door to a cure”, reported the Daily Mirror. The
newspaper said that these genes normally control the levels of a
brain chemical called glutamate, but a variant form of the gene
may lead to a build-up of glutamate within the nerve cells.
According to the paper, halting this build-up could help stop
migraines. The study behind this story scanned the DNA of
several thousand people with and without a history of migraine.
It compared their genetics and identified a particular gene
variant that was more common in migraine sufferers. The study
adds to our understanding of the complex processes that lead to
migraines and highlights that there may be genetic causes. This
is important research, but finding genes that are linked to a
condition is very different from developing a safe treatment
based on this knowledge. Overall, it is premature for newspapers
to suggest that this research may soon produce a cure for
migraines. Migraine is a comple