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Published on: June 2, 2014
Joint Metabonomic and Instrumental Analysis for the Classification of Migraine Patients with 677-MTHFR Mutations
Pierangela Giustetto1, William Liboni, Ornella Mana
1Department of Neuroscience, Gradenigo Hospital, Torino, Italy.
Abstract:
Migraine is a neurological disorder that correlates with an increased risk of cerebrovascular lesions. Genetic mutations of the MTHFR gene are correlated to migraine and to the increased risk of artery pathologies. Also, migraine patients show altered hematochemical parameters, linked to an impaired platelet aggregation mechanism. Hence, the vascular assessment of migraineurs is of primary importance.Transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) is used to measure cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) and vasomotor reactivity (by an index measured during breath-holding - BHI). Aim of this study was the metabolic profiling of migraine subjects with T/T677-MTHFR and C/T677-MTHFR mutations and its correlation with CBFV and BHI.Metabonomic multidimensional techniques were used to describe and cluster subjects. Fifty women suffering from migraine (age: 18-64; 21 with aura) underwent TCD examination, hematochemical blood analysis, Born test, and genetic tests for MTHFR mutation. Fourteen (7 with aura) had T/T677, 18 (8 with aura) had C/T677, and 18 (6 with aura) had no mutation. The total number of variables was 24.Unsupervised and supervised techniques_showed the correlation between CBFV and BHI with mutation. Discriminant analysis allowed for classifying the subjects with 95.9% sensitivity and 89.0% specificity. Aura was not correlated to mutation or variations of instrumental data.Our study showed that metabonomics could be effectively applied in clinical problems to show the overall correlation structure of complex systems in pathology. Specifically, our results confirmed the importance of TCD in the metabolic profiling and follow-up of migraine patients.
Insights
Migraine patients with MTHFR gene mutations show altered cerebral blood flow velocity and vasomotor reactivity. Metabonomics and Transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) effectively correlate these vascular changes with MTHFR mutations in migraineurs.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Genetics
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Migraine is a neurological disorder linked to cerebrovascular lesions and MTHFR gene mutations, increasing arterial pathology risk.
- Migraine patients exhibit altered hematochemical parameters affecting platelet aggregation, highlighting the need for vascular assessment.
- Transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) measures cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) and vasomotor reactivity (BHI).
Purpose of the Study:
- To perform metabolic profiling of migraineurs with specific MTHFR gene mutations (T/T677 and C/T677).
- To correlate metabolic profiles with cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) and breath-holding index (BHI) measured by TCD.
- To explore the utility of metabonomics in understanding migraine pathophysiology and vascular assessment.
Main Methods:
- Metabonomic multidimensional techniques were employed for subject description and clustering.
- Fifty women with migraine underwent TCD, hematochemical analysis, Born test, and MTHFR genetic testing.
- Subjects were categorized based on MTHFR mutation status: T/T677 (14), C/T677 (18), and no mutation (18).
Main Results:
- Unsupervised and supervised analyses revealed correlations between CBFV, BHI, and MTHFR mutation status.
- Discriminant analysis achieved high classification accuracy: 95.9% sensitivity and 89.0% specificity.
- Migraine aura was not significantly correlated with MTHFR mutation or observed instrumental variations.
Conclusions:
- Metabonomics is a valuable tool for clinical analysis, revealing complex correlations in pathological systems.
- The study confirms the importance of TCD in the metabolic profiling and ongoing management of migraine patients.
- Vascular assessment, particularly using TCD, is crucial for understanding and managing migraine, especially in relation to MTHFR gene variations.
