(2 of 2)
A GENE FOR MIGRAINES Migraines, more than any other type of headache, seem to run in families. Neurologists from Leiden University in the Netherlands have for the first time isolated a gene that is linked to some types of migraines. The team, led by Dr. Michel Ferrari, studied 60 subjects from five families with a history of migraines. Inheriting one copy of the defective gene seems to hamper the ability of cells to use calcium molecules to communicate with one another. Ferrari stresses, however, that genetics is not destiny: "Certain patients will have a genetic predisposition but will develop migraine only when other, presumably environmental, factors are involved."
HEADACHES AND HORMONES Doctors have long suspected a link between headaches and certain sex hormones, particularly in women. A study of 100 women at the University of Mississippi Medical Center suggests that women who have gynecological problems (irregular menstrual cycles, ovarian cysts) or who have undergone hysterectomies are up to twice as likely to develop chronic severe headaches as women who have not. Scientists still don't know why some women get headaches during the hormone surges that accompany their monthly cycles.
One setback was reported last week: the FDA announced that it is considering restricting access to Stadol, a popular pain-killer for migraines, because the medication has turned out to be more addictive than anyone realized, and may even have contributed to several deaths.
Clearly, much work remains to be done, particularly on cluster headaches. The pharmaceutical companies still don't have a pill designed specifically to protect against these attacks, although some doctors have had success treating them with lithium, a drug usually used to regulate the mood swings of manic depression. Apparently it can also interrupt the cycles of cluster headaches, although nobody yet understands why. Meanwhile, drilling holes in your head, no matter how much it hurts, is not recommended.
--Reported by Alice Park/New York