Woman With Gene Mutation Lives Pain Free

Scientists at the University College of London have discovered a gene mutation in a woman who lives virtually pain and stress free. She experiences very little anxiety and may have enhanced wound healing due to the mutation. This discovery could help researchers greatly in treatments for a range of conditions. Scientists found that this woman has a genotype that reduces activity of a gene that has been already looked at as a possible target for pain and anxiety treatments. The woman found out that she feels no pain at the age of 65 due to a sever joint degeneration in her hips. She underwent painful surgery and reported no pain. She was sent to an Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine, Dr. Devjit Srivastava, specialist in Scotland who made this discovery. She was then sent to pain genetiscists at University College of London and University of Oxford who conducted genetic analysis and found the two genes affected. One was a microdeletion in a pseudogene, FAAH, and a mutation in a neighboring gene. The woman noticed that she should not notice cuts or horns until she smelt burning flesh and that her wounds would heal extremely quick. She also received the lowest score possible on a common anxiety scale and reports never panicking even in dangerous situations. Another thing that was noted was that she has poor memory. She would have memory lapses throughout the day. Researchers say that it is possible that there are many more people with the same mutation but may be unaware given that this woman was unaware until her 60s.