The genetics of migraine

Natural history of migraine in childhood

Epidemiological studies have shown that 3-7% of the paediatric population suffer from migraine. Despite this high prevalence little has been published about the natural history of migraine or of its prognosis. The objectives of this study were: (i) to outline the natural history of migraine in childhood; and (ii) to identify early predictors of an unfavourable clinical evolution. A prospective, longitudinal, 10-year follow-up study was conducted of the clinical evolution of 181 paediatric patients with migraine. Data analysis was performed by statistical significance and logistic regression tests. In our study 24.3% of children with migraine had their onset before age 6 years and another 57% between 6 and 10 years of age. A positive family history of migraine was recorded in 77.5%. Eighty-eight percent of patients followed a favourable clinical course. The remaining 12% of patients had to be placed on prophylactic treatment owing to the increasing of their headache. Of all parameters investigated, the age of onset was the only statistically significant predictor of an unfavourable clinical evolution. We conclude: (i) most patients with migraine headache starting in childhood do not require prophylactic treatment; (ii) the earlier the disease begins the more likely is an unfavourable clinical course; (iii) genetic factors play an important role in the phenotypic expression of the disease; (iv) our study suggests the existence, at least, of two different populations among childhood migraine patients.

Italian family with cranial cervical dystonia: clinical and genetic study

A white Italian family affected by primary torsion dystonia (PTD) is described. The family phenotype most commonly presented with adult onset, cranial cervical involvement, and focal or segmental distribution without progression to generalization. Thirty-nine family members and nine spouses were studied. Five subjects received a diagnosis of definite PTD, three of probable PTD. Age at onset was in adulthood for all. In four definitely affected subjects, dystonia started in the cranial or cervical districts; in one it presented as writer's cramp. Familial writer's cramp also occurred in the family of the unrelated parent of the latter patient. The mean age at time of examination was 61.8 years in the individuals with a definite diagnosis; 60 in those with a probable diagnosis. At the time of examination, in most of the affected subjects, dystonia was focal; in three cases (two definitely and one probably affected), it was segmental. DNA linkage analysis, although limited by the size of the family, suggested exclusion of linkage between the disease and known PTD loci (DYT6 and DYT7). The GAG deletion in the DYT1 gene was excluded in the proband and in the family member affected by writer's cramp.

The place of migraine as a channelopathy

Over the past 8 years an increasing awareness of the role of mutant ion channels in episodic diseases of humans has emerged. The importance of these discoveries is now being extended to a growing list of membrane excitability disorders of the nervous system. Molecular characterization of episodic diseases that are rare and monogenic will ultimately shed light on more common and complex disorders, such as epilepsy and migraine.

Striatal dopamine metabolism correlated with frontotemporal glucose utilization in Alzheimer's disease: a double-tracer PET study

We previously found that the rate of [l8F]6-fluoro-L-dopa (FDOPA) uptake into the striatum (the Ki value) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) correlated with cognitive function. Patients with wandering behavior had an increased level of D2 dopamine receptors. Decreased cerebral glucose utilization (CMRglc) in the parietal and temporo-parieto-occipital region is a well-known PET finding in AD. We investigated the relationship between the Ki value and regional CMRglc (rCMRglc) with reference to cognitive impairment and wandering behavior. We studied 10 AD patients with moderately severe dementia. Using PET and the FDOPA and [18F]-fluoro-deoxyglucose techniques, the Ki value and rCMRglc in 10 regions in each hemisphere were measured. The Ki value was found to correlate with mean cortical rCMRglc. The rCMRglc of the anterior frontal, inferior frontal, and temporal lobes correlated with the Ki value; the patients with wandering behavior had lower values. Multiple regression analysis showed that the Mini-Mental State Examination score was significantly explained by the Ki value, the rCMRglc of the temporal lobe, and the rCMRglc of the parietal lobe. There is probably a functional neural network between the striatum and the frontal and temporal lobes in AD. We consider this network important, not only in cognitive impairment but also in abnormal wandering behavior.