In Italy, a family shares a gene variant that causes them to not feel pain sensations, which seemingly a positive thing, has its downsides too, like broken bones and fractures that they don’t find for a long time because they can’t feel their injuries. But scientists have now identified the genetic mutation that causes this and hope it can help them find new treatments for people with chronic pain.
James Cox from University College London told Science Alert, “We have spent several years trying to identify the gene that is the cause of this and this particular disorder may only be in one family. Sometimes they feel pain in the initial break but it goes away very quickly.”
The family’s genetic variant was found from the family’s DNA from blood samples, and is located in a gene called ZFHX2. Scientists believe the variant “disrupts how ZFHX2 regulates other genes that have been linked to pain signaling,” according to Science Alert.