New gene associated with migraine predisposition

Called “neurexin” - it is a gene that is present in the communication between neurons and for the first time it was demonstrated to influence migraine. The work, whose first author is researcher Miguel Alves-Ferreira, was recently distinguished by the Portuguese Society of Neurology with the Orlando Leitão Award, for the best oral communication presented at the annual congress of this scientific society, and presents new data for understanding disease and development of new therapies.

Migraine is a chronic disease characterized by episodes of severe headache, associated with neurological and autonomic symptoms. It has a very high prevalence (it is the third most common disease in the world, more prevalent than diabetes, epilepsy, and asthma combined) and has a great socioeconomic impact, being considered by the World Health Organization as the eighth cause of disability.

According to researcher Miguel Alves-Ferreira, from the UnIGENe group, “it has long been known that migraine has a large family component and in a study of family aggregation in Portuguese patients carried out by our group, we found that 1st degree family members have a risk three to four times higher, compared to the general population, which suggests that there is a strong genetic component”.

Regarding the emergence of migraine, the researcher stresses that “although the physiological causes of migraine are not yet fully known, it is known that there are several mechanisms in the central nervous system that work in concert. First, there is a nerve that is activated, which causes neurons to release small particles, called neurotransmitters, followed by inflammation and dilation of blood vessels, which then triggers migraine (pain). In this research work, Miguel Alves-Ferreira focused on the study of neurotransmitters and more specifically on neurexin, a gene that is present in this release of neurotransmitters by neurons and which helps, moreover, to the physical proximity between neurons”.

“I studied the genetic variants in 183 patients and the way in which neurexin influences two other genes that are already known to be related to migraine and I found that this gene interacts significantly with the other two”, said Miguel Alves-Ferreira.

With this study, stresses the i3S researcher, “it was possible to demonstrate for the first time the involvement of a gene called neurexin in migraine. This gene, which plays an essential role in the adhesion of neurons during the synapse (helps physical proximity in the communication process between neurons), and its interactions with other genes in the central nervous system can help solve a puzzle of immense complexity, allowing us a better understanding of migraine and the development of new therapeutic approaches”, underlines Miguel Alves-Ferreira.