Pain sensitivity can be altered through lifetime
Researchers at King’s College London, UK, have discovered that sensitivity to pain could be altered by a person’s lifestyle and environment throughout their lifetime. The study is the first to find that pain sensitivity, previously thought to be inflexible, can change as a result of genes being switched on or off by lifestyle and environmental factors – a process called epigenetics, which chemically alters the expression of genes.
The study has important implications for understanding pain sensitivity and could lead to new treatments aimed at ‘switching off’ certain genes epigenetically.
To identify levels of sensitivity to pain, scientists tested 25 pairs of identical twins using a heat probe on the arm. Using DNA sequencing, the researchers examined over five million epigenetic marks across the whole genome and compared them with a further 50 unrelated individuals to confirm their results.
The researchers found wide variations between people and identified chemical modifications within nine genes involved in pain sensitivity that were different in one twin but not in her identical sister. The chemical changes were most significant within a known pain sensitivity gene, TRPA1, already a therapeutic target in the development of analgesics.
This is the first time TRPA1 has shown the capacity to be switched on and off epigenetically. Discovering how this happens could have major implications for tackling pain relief. Those most sensitive to pain encountered in everyday life are more likely to go on to develop chronic pain.
Lead author of the study, Dr Jordana Bell, Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London, said: “The potential to epigenetically regulate the behaviour of TRPA1 and other genes involved in pain sensitivity is very exciting and could lead to a more effective pain relief treatment for patients suffering with chronic pain.”
The research was funded by the European Research Council, Pfizer, and the Wellcome Trust.
The study was published in Nature Communications.
