Molecular mechanisms offer hope for new pain treatments

By working with individuals suffering from a severe disorder that causes sensory neurons to degenerate, researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital and CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital have discovered how a specific genetic mutation causes their patients' condition, which in turn has revealed more information about the mechanisms in our bodies which enable us to sense pain. Genetic mutations are mistakes in our genetic code that can either be passed from parents to their children or created when DNA is replicated. Lead author Dr. Jean-Baptiste Rivière published the team's results in the American Journal of Human Genetics today.