MOSCOW, September 24 - RIA Novosti . Biologists accidentally discovered in the DNA of human gene that is responsible for the "sixth sense" - instinctive determining body position in space, whose failure leads to the development of problems with balance and sense of touch, according to a paper published in the journal New England Journal of Medicine.
"Before, I studied the work PIEZO2 gene only in mice, and meeting with patients in whom it is damaged, put me into shock. Our research shows that people are blind to the touch and can not determine the position of the body in space due to the fact that their neurons do not respond to pressure and movement of limbs, "- said Alexander Chelzer (Alexander Chelser) of the US National institutes of health in Bethesda.
Chelzer and his colleagues revealed an unexpected function PIEZO2 gene in the human body and the development of a kind of "sixth sense", reviewed the records of two patients, US hospitals are suffering from extra-heavy form of scoliosis.
Exploring their DNA, scientists came across a strange thing - it turned out that both patients PIEZO2 gene has been damaged, which was previously considered the biologists responsible for the detection of light touch. This coincidence led scientists to check whether this is not linked to a region of DNA with that of other functions of the body, breach of which can cause scoliosis.
After receiving the consent of the patients themselves and their relatives, the researchers checked their hands and other parts of the body react to the vibration, pin pricks, cold and hot objects and other stimuli. It turned out that, in addition to the recognition of touches, PIEZO2 and played a different role in the body of work that can be generally described as a "sense of space".
It is expressed in the fact that a person who PIEZO2 is normal, pretty good understanding of where and how disposed his body, if he closes his eyes, any objects it touches and what surrounds it. Just checking this feeling is familiar to all hospitals offer neurologist touch the nose with your eyes closed or find and touch the object, located nearby.
As shown by experiments on volunteers, deprived PIEZO2, they can not even perform a simple task, if their eyes are closed. With eyes open they are easily dealt nose, objects, and go through the room, despite the deformation of hands and feet, although the balance maintained with great difficulty.
Scientists theorize that such differences in the results of "blind" and "sighted" test due to the fact that the brains of these patients has adapted to the absence of "The Sixth Sense" and has learned to use his eyes and ears for information on body position in space and its balance sheet. Accordingly, when such patients close their eyes, they are losing the information channel for "The Sixth Sense" and the ability to sense its position in space.
The consequences of failure PIEZO2, according Chelzera actually may be much wider - the loss of "sixth sense" can act on the human body even during its intrauterine development. Without PIEZO2, as scientists believe, the embryo can not figure out how to turn and which concern the future of his arms and legs, it is likely is the cause of scoliosis and other skeletal deformities characteristic of his group studied patients.This theory scientists promise to check in the near future by experimenting with embryos.
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