NIH: With the help of two young patients with a unique neurological
disorder, an initial study by scientists at the National Institutes of
Health suggests that a gene called
PIEZO2 controls specific
aspects of human touch and proprioception, a “sixth sense” describing
awareness of one’s body in space. Mutations in the gene caused the two
to have movement and balance problems and the loss of some forms of
touch. Despite their difficulties, they both appeared to cope with these
challenges by relying heavily on vision and other senses.
