Figure 1 from Key et al 2018, showing the populations analysed, their allele frequencies for the variant associated with migraine (in colour), the average temperature, and FST signaturess.
Figure 1 from Key et al 2018, showing the populations analysed, their allele frequencies for the variant associated with migraine (in colour), the average temperature, and FST signatures.

It just came out in Headache our commentary “Did Going North Give Us Migraine? An Evolutionary Approach on Understanding Latitudinal Differences in Migraine Epidemiology”. We discuss a recent publication (Key et al. 2018, Human local adaptation of the TRPM8 cold receptor along a latitudinal cline, PLoS Genet, 14 (5), e1007298) reconstructing the evolutionary history of a genetic polymorphism strongly associated with migraine. We collaborated with Alessandro Viganò and Vittorio di Piero, two medical doctors from the Sapienza University of Rome, to offer to the medical community a commentary piece on the importance of integrating an evolutionary approach into epidemiological studies of migraine, and other potentially genetic-associated diseases.

Alessandro Viganò, Andrea Manica, Vittorio Di Piero, Michela Leonardi

Did Going North Give Us Migraine? An Evolutionary Approach on Understanding Latitudinal Differences in Migraine Epidemiology

This commentary discusses a recent publication by evolutionary biologists with strong implications for migraine experts. The Authors showed that a gene polymorphism associated with migraine gave our ancestors an evolutionary advantage when colonizing northern, and thus colder, territories. They then highlight that the prevalence of migraine may differ among countries because of climatic adaptation. These results may prove useful in planning both epidemiological and physiological studies in the field of migraine.

Headache, 59 (4), 632-634 https://doi.org/10.1111/head.13520