The work involved a collaboration between UC Berkeley neuroscientist Diana Bautista, Ph.D., who runs a lab focused on the molecular basis of the
sensations of itch, touch and
pain, and Buck Associate Professor Rachel Brem, Ph.D., a geneticist who studies how and
why traits differ between individuals.
«We're not sure
why it's so much more prevalent in women — one thought is that hormones like estrogen make some women's brains more susceptible to
sensations of
pain,» says Abby Abelson, MD, chair of the department of rheumatic and immunologic diseases at the Cleveland Clinic.