title: fMRI reveals neural activity overlap between adult and infant pain.
abstract: 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 completely unknown, meaning we cannot infer anything 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.
authors.affiliation: Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sezgi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goksan
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7981-0836
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hartley
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Faith
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Emery
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cockrill
authors.affiliation: Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Poorun
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moultrie
authors.affiliation: Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.affiliation: Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Eleri
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.affiliation: Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Clare
authors.affiliation: Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jenkinson
authors.affiliation: Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tracey
authors.affiliation: Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Rebeccah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Slater
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D059225:Nociception / Q000502:physiology; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: development; fMRI; human; infant; neuroscience; pain