REDHEADS RESPOND TO PAIN KILLERS BETTER A gene for red hair and fair skin also could help redheads make the most out of painkiller medication, say McGill University researchers. Researcher Jeffrey Mogil says previous research found a female-specific pain pathway in the brain and analgesics that target receptors in this pathway -- called kappa-opioid receptors -- reportedly work only in women. The researchers used quantitative trait locus mapping to identify a candidate gene -- Mc1r linked to pigmentation -- that could be responsible for this sex difference. The researchers tested a clinically used kappa analgesic, pentazocine, on male and female humans with several Mc1r variations causing different hair colors and skin types. The Mc1r variations did not affect analgesic response to pentazocine in men, but caused a heightened response in redheaded, fair-skinned women. UPI 3/25/03 Soc for Women's Health Research, 4/03 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.