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The genetics of migraine: implication for treatment approaches

  • Conference paper
Stroke-Vascular Diseases

Summary

Migraine is a paroxysmal neurological disorder affecting up to 12% of males and 24% of females in the general population, demonstrated to have a strong, but complex, genetic component. Genetic investigation of migraine bears great promise in providing new targets for drug development and optimization of individual specific therapy. Better, preferably prophylactic, treatment of migraine patients is desired because the presently used drugs are not effective in all patients, allow recurrence of the headache in a high percentage of patients and sometimes have severe adverse side effects. With the recent identification of the brain-specific P/Q-type calcium channel gene CACNA1A in the pathogenesis of migraine, the first step has been taken to identify primary biochemical pathways leading to migraine. Here, we summarize the current knowledge about the genetics of migraine and focus on the implication for treatment approaches.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurolgy, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    M. D. Ferrari MD PhD & J. Haan

  2. Department of Neurology, Rijnland Hospital Leiderdorp, The Netherlands

    J. Haan

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  1. M. D. Ferrari MD PhD
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  2. J. Haan
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Psychiatry, Innsbruck University Clinics, Anichstrasse 35, A-6020, Innsbruck, Austria

    W. Wolfgang Fleischhacker

  2. MRC Cyclotron Unit, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK

    David J. Brooks

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© 2002 Springer-Verlag Wien

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Ferrari, M.D., Haan, J. (2002). The genetics of migraine: implication for treatment approaches. In: Fleischhacker, W.W., Brooks, D.J. (eds) Stroke-Vascular Diseases. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-6137-1_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-6137-1_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-211-83866-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-7091-6137-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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