In case you thought you were a wimp, scientists have now discovered why.

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Stoics may be born that way

 

February 21, 2003

 

WASHINGTON--When it comes to pain, people can be wimps, stoics or somewhere in between. Now scientists have found one reason--a variation in a single gene that shows stoics really can tolerate more pain.

 

The new research by University of Michigan neuroscientists shows how much you suffer is due at least partly to a gene that helps regulate how many pain-killers your body produces.

 

Everyone has two copies of this gene, one inherited from each parent--but they can inherit forms that differ by one amino acid. A quarter of the U.S. population carries the ''stoic'' gene variation while another quarter has the gene variant that makes them super-sensitive to pain, researcher Dr. Jon-Kar Zubieta estimates.

 

The findings, from scans of the brain's natural painkiller system in action, include surprising data showing that women's ability to handle pain increases with their estrogen levels.

 

AP

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