MIGRAINE ASSOCIATION AND LINKAGE STUDIES OF AN ENDOTHELIAL NITRIC-OXIDE SYNTHASE (NOS3) GENE POLYMORPHISM

Migraine shows strong familial aggregation. However, the number of gen es involved in the disorder is unknown and not identified. Nitric oxid e is involved in the central processing of pain stimuli and plays an i mportant role in the regulation of basal or stimulated vasodilation. N itric oxide synthase, which controls the synthesis of nitric oxide, co uld possibly be a cause, or candidate gene: in migraine etiology. In t his study, we detected a polymorphism for endothelial nitric oxide syn thase by polymerase chain reaction and tested this for association and linkage to migraine. Results from the study did not show an associati on of the nitric oxide synthase microsatellite vc hen tested in 91 aff ected and 85 unaffected individuals. Using the FASTLINK program for pa rametric linkage analysis, the polymorphism did not show significant L inkage to migraine when tested in four migraine pedigrees composed of 116 individuals, 52 affected. Total LOD scores excluded linkage up to 8.5 cM between the nitric oxide synthase polymorphism and migraine. Re sults using the nonparametric affected pedigree member form of analysi s also did not support a role for this gene in migraine etiology.