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Genetic and Environmental Influences on Migraine: A Twin Study Across Six Countries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Elles J. Mulder ,
Caroline van Baal ,
David Gaist ,
Mikko Kallela ,
Jaakko Kaprio ,
Dan A. Svensson ,
Dale R. Nyholt ,
Nicholas G. Martin ,
Alex J. MacGregor  and
Lynn F. Cherkas
...Show all authors
Elles J. Mulder*
Affiliation:
Dept of Biological Psychology,Vrije Universiteit,Amsterdam,The Netherlands. EJCM.Mulder@psy.vu.nl
Caroline van Baal
Affiliation:
Dept of Biological Psychology,Vrije Universiteit,Amsterdam,The Netherlands.
David Gaist
Affiliation:
University of Southern Denmark, Odense & Dept of Neurology, Odense University Hospital, Denmark.
Mikko Kallela
Affiliation:
Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland.
Jaakko Kaprio
Affiliation:
Dept of Public Health, University of Helsinki & Dept of Mental of Health, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland.
Dan A. Svensson
Affiliation:
Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Sweden.
Dale R. Nyholt
Affiliation:
The Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia.
Nicholas G. Martin
Affiliation:
The Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia.
Alex J. MacGregor
Affiliation:
Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology Unit, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK.
Lynn F. Cherkas
Affiliation:
Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology Unit, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK.
Dorret I. Boomsma
Affiliation:
Dept of Biological Psychology,Vrije Universiteit,Amsterdam,The Netherlands.
Aarno Palotie
Affiliation:
The Finnish Genome Center and the Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
*
*Address for correspondence: Elles J. Mulder, Dept of Biological Psychology, FPP, Vrije Universiteit. Van der Boechorststraat 1, Room 1F-58, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Abstract

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Migraine is a common neurovascular brain disorder that is manifested in recurrent episodes of disabling headache. The aim of the present study was to compare the prevalence and heritability of migraine across six of the countries that participate in GenomEUtwin project including a total number of 29,717 twin pairs. Migraine was assessed by questionnaires that differed between most countries. It was most prevalent in Danish and Dutch females (32% and 34%, respectively), whereas the lowest prevalence was found in the younger and older Finnish cohorts (13% and 10%, respectively). The estimated genetic variance (heritability) was significant and the same between sexes in all countries. Heritability ranged from 34% to 57%, with lowest estimates in Australia, and highest estimates in the older cohort of Finland, the Netherlands, and Denmark. There was some indication that part of the genetic variance was non-additive, but this was significant in Sweden only. In addition to genetic factors, environmental effects that are non-shared between members of a twin pair contributed to the liability of migraine. After migraine definitions are homogenized among the participating countries, the GenomEUtwin project will provide a powerful resource to identify the genes involved in migraine.

Type
Articles
Information
Twin Research and Human Genetics , Volume 6 , Issue 5 , 01 October 2003 , pp. 422 - 431
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2003