Neanderthal gene variants associated with greater pain sensitivity

Neanderthal - iStock People who carry three gene variants that have bene inherited from Neanderthals are more sensitive to some types of pain, according to a new study co-led by UCL researchers. The findings, published in , are the latest findings to show how past interbreeding with Neanderthals has influenced the genetics of modern humans. The researchers found that people carrying three so-called Neanderthal variants in the gene  SCN9A , which is implicated in sensory neurons, are more sensitive to pain from skin pricking after prior exposure to mustard oil. Previous research has identified three variations in the  SCN9A gene - known as M932L, V991L, and D1908G - in sequenced Neanderthal genomes and reports of greater pain sensitivity among humans carrying all three variants. However, prior to this study the specific sensory responses affected by these variants was unclear. An international team led by researchers at UCL, Aix-Marseille University, University of Toulouse, Open University, Fudan University, and Oxford University, and part-funded by Wellcome, measured the pain thresholds of 1,963 people from Colombia in response to a range of stimuli. The SCN9A  gene encodes a sodium channel that is expressed at high levels in sensory neurons that detect signals from damaged tissue.