fMRI reveals neural activity overlap between adult and infant pain
Sezgi Goksan,
Caroline Hartley,
Faith Emery,
Naomi Cockrill,
Ravi Poorun,
Fiona Moultrie,
Richard Rogers,
Jon Campbell,
Michael Sanders,
Eleri Adams,
Stuart Clare,
Mark Jenkinson,
Irene Tracey,
Rebeccah Slater
Affiliations
Sezgi Goksan
Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Faith Emery
Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Naomi Cockrill
Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Ravi Poorun
Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Fiona Moultrie
Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Richard Rogers
Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Jon Campbell
Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Michael Sanders
Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Eleri Adams
Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Stuart Clare
Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Mark Jenkinson
Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Irene Tracey
Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Rebeccah Slater
Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Limited understanding of infant pain has led to its lack of recognition in clinical practice. While the network of brain regions that encode the affective and sensory aspects of adult pain are well described, the brain structures involved in infant nociceptive processing are less well known, meaning little can be inferred about the nature of the infant pain experience. Using fMRI we identified the network of brain regions that are active following acute noxious stimulation in newborn infants, and compared the activity to that observed in adults. Significant infant brain activity was observed in 18 of the 20 active adult brain regions but not in the infant amygdala or orbitofrontal cortex. Brain regions that encode sensory and affective components of pain are active in infants, suggesting that the infant pain experience closely resembles that seen in adults. This highlights the importance of developing effective pain management strategies in this vulnerable population.
