Gene is found to affect pain level

People who say they are less sensitive to pain than others could be right. Researchers say they have found a gene that appears to affect how people feel discomfort.

Tests in rats showed that blocking increased activity of the gene after nerve injury or inflammation could prevent the development of chronic pain, a finding that points to possible ways to develop new pain drugs. Studies in volunteers showed that about a quarter of them had the genetic variant that protected them from pain somewhat, and 3% carried two mutated copies that made them exceptionally tolerant of pain, the researchers reported Monday in the journal Nature Medicine.