Migraine is a very prevalent neurological disorder with a strong genetic factor. The common forms of migraine have a multifactorial and polygenic pattern of inheritance and genetics research is crucial for a deeper understanding of migraine mechanisms. Recently, 12 genetic loci have been identified to be associated with migraine with (MA) and without aura (MA) in four large genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The functional consequences of these genetic loci in humans are yet unknown.
Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a neuropeptide which plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of migraine and is present in migraine relevant structures. CGRP can induce migraine attacks in MO patients via an adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) dependent pathway and CGRP antagonism is efficient in the treatment of migraine attacks. Also, a recent study has showed that intracellular accumulation of cAMP is crucial for the induction of migraine attacks. However, CGRP does not cause migraine attacks in familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM), an autosomal dominant subtype of MA.
The phenotype of the migraine inducing effects of CGRP might therefore be linked to some of the 12 genetic susceptibility loci that have been identified. One of the genetic loci (rs13208321) is located in a gene (FHL5) that is associated with the regulation of cAMP-responsive elements.
