• Cameron L Randall, Casey D Wright, Jonathan M Chernus, Daniel W McNeil, Eleanor Feingold, Richard J Crout, Katherine Neiswanger, Robert J Weyant, John R Shaffer, and Mary L Marazita.
• Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, 53 Campus Drive, P.O. Box 6040, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
• Pain Res Manag. 2017 Jan 1; 2017: 7375468.

BackgroundAcute and chronic orofacial pain can significantly impact overall health and functioning. Associations between fear of pain and the experience of orofacial pain are well-documented, and environmental, behavioral, and cognitive components of fear of pain have been elucidated. Little is known, however, regarding the specific genes contributing to fear of pain.MethodsA genome-wide association study (GWAS; N = 990) was performed to identify plausible genes that may predispose individuals to various levels of fear of pain. The total score and three subscales (fear of minor, severe, and medical/dental pain) of the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-9 (FPQ-9) were modeled in a variance components modeling framework to test for genetic association with 8.5 M genetic variants across the genome, while adjusting for sex, age, education, and income.ResultsThree genetic loci were significantly associated with fear of minor pain (8q24.13, 8p21.2, and 6q26; p < 5 × 10-8 for all) near the genes TMEM65, NEFM, NEFL, AGPAT4, and PARK2. Other suggestive loci were found for the fear of pain total score and each of the FPQ-9 subscales.ConclusionsMultiple genes were identified as possible candidates contributing to fear of pain. The findings may have implications for understanding and treating chronic orofacial pain.

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