Chronic or extreme reactions to stress can lead to pathological conditions such as long term anxiety states, depression and panic disorders. Stress related disease also contributes to other major health problems such as heart disease and disorders of the immune system. These disease states include some of the major medical problems of our times. This proposal is to define genes which may be involved in stress responsiveness, to further understand and treat stress related disease.
Genetic Analysis Of Migraine And Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders Using Twin Families
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$554,450.00
Summary
Typical migraine, is a frequent, debilitating and painful disorder that normally affects people during their most productive years (up to 25% of females and 7.5% of males in Western populations). Additionally, several studies have demonstrated a cross-sectional relation between psychiatric disorders (namely anxiety and depression) and migraine in community samples. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently identified migraine and major depression among the world's top 20 leading causes of dis ....Typical migraine, is a frequent, debilitating and painful disorder that normally affects people during their most productive years (up to 25% of females and 7.5% of males in Western populations). Additionally, several studies have demonstrated a cross-sectional relation between psychiatric disorders (namely anxiety and depression) and migraine in community samples. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently identified migraine and major depression among the world's top 20 leading causes of disability, with an impact that extends far past the suffering individual, to the family and community. In both sexes of all ages, depression and migraine are the 1st and 19th leading causes of disability affected life years. Although both migraine and depression are highly prevalent in our society, their aetiologies remain relatively obscure and there are no laboratory based diagnostic tests that identify those who suffer from the disorders. Because so little is known about them, a positional cloning approach is the only feasible way to identify the molecular mechanisms underlying these disorders. This project will collect a sample with sufficient power to perform a genome wide linkage screen to i) identify novel susceptibility genes, and ii) confirm previously reported susceptibility genes for migraine and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. The susceptibility genes identified (and confirmed) in this sample will provide clues to the further elucidation of the complex molecular pathways of migraine (and co-occurring psychiatric disorders) and, finally, will help in the development of diagnostic tests and rational treatment strategies.Read moreRead less