Chemical changes to genes make twins’ pain differ

Genetically identical twins may not experience pain to the same extent because of differences in the way their genes have been chemically modified.

A study of identical twins and of unrelated individuals shows that differences in chemical changes to TRPA1, a gene that directs the production of a temperature-sensing protein, is connected to pain tolerance. The finding, with additional work, may help explain how chemical changes to pain genes influence the way people detect pain could possibly help with treatments, researchers report February 4 in Nature Communications.