Aug. 30, 2010 -- Scientists have identified the first-ever genetic risk factor for common migraines.

People who have a specific change, or variation, in a section of DNA that helps control a brain chemical called glutamate have a significantly greater risk of developing migraines, researchers report in this week's issue of Nature Genetics.

The landmark achievement marks a significant step toward understanding the mysteries of migraines and could help pave the way for the development of new treatments for preventing the debilitating headaches.

The discovery is based on genetic data from more than 50,000 Europeans. A team of international researchers compared genetic data from migraine patients to people who did not have migraines. They found that patients with a variation on chromosome 8 between two genes called PGCP and MTDH/AEG-1 were significantly more likely to develop common migraines.

Researchers had previously linked genetic mutations to rare and extreme forms of migraine, but this is the first time they have identified one that leads to common forms of the headaches.