A study by the University of California, San Francisco, has found that mothers who suffer migraine headaches are twice as likely to have colicky babies than mothers who do not have migrainesᅠSince migraines are known to trend in family history, these findings lead doctors toᅠquestion whether colic can be an early determinant of migraines later in the child’s life According to , colic is defined as sustained crying more than three hours a day, at least three days a week for more than threeᅠweeks Symptoms include predictable crying episodes, intense and high pitched inconsolable crying, and clenched fists or tense muscles Originally, colic was thought to beᅠcaused by gastrointestinal distress, but with this new study, researchers now believe it has more to do with neurological development According to Dr Marla Shapiro, who describedᅠtheᅠstudyᅠon , 154 new mothers and their infants were examined at the childrens’ᅠtwo-month checkups 29 percent of infants, whose mothersᅠhad migraines, had colic, while only 11 percent ofᅠinfants whose mothers did not have migrainesᅠsuffered from colic The researchersᅠdo not believe that babies are suffering migraines themselvesᅠwhen they haveᅠcolic episodes, but think that they may be sensitive to stimuli such as sound and lightᅠin theirᅠenvironment, just likeᅠmigraine sufferers are They plan to carefully track these children into their adult lives to see if they end up sufferingᅠfrom migraines as well