Researchers at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) in Canada have investigated a debilitating hereditary form of migraine which is accompanied by visual impairments known as auras.
The study shows that specific genotypes can damage the operation of a tiny cellular mechanism known as the sodium pump (the sodium/potassium ATPase enzyme), reducing its efficiency.
By expelling sodium from the cell and drawing potassium from outside, the sodium pump maintains a gradient of potassium, which is critical for the propagation of electrical signals along nerve cells.
“This is the first time that a genetic mutation of the sodium pump has been shown to cause disease by changing the properties of this biochemical process, rather than completely turning it off,” said Dr Rhoda Blostein, professor of medicine and biochemistry at McGill University.
This new understanding of how genetic mutations cause migraines progresses research further towards the development of improved treatments, providing hope to millions of migraine sufferers.