Scientists Spot More Migraine Genes, Am van den Maagdenberg of Leiden University Medical Centre Study

Two more genetic links to migraines have been discovered, a finding experts acknowledge won't yet help those suffering from the throbbing headaches but may one day lead to new therapies. Comparing the DNA of more than 2,300 patients afflicted with migraines without aura -- the most common type -- with 4,580 people in the general population, German and Dutch scientists spotted two gene variants associated with that migraine form. The research, authored by Arn van den Maagdenberg of Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, builds on a U.S. study released last year identifying three genes linked to migraines that suggested those inheriting any one of those genes had a 10 percent to 15 percent greater risk for the condition.