Related Experiment Videos
The reality of neonatal pain
1Perinatal Center, Loyola University Chicago, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Developmental Follow-up Program, Department of Pediatrics, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL, USA. mpuchal@lumc.edu
Insights
Neonatal pain is often undertreated due to misconceptions about infant pain perception. Emerging evidence shows infants remember pain, impacting future responses and long-term neurodevelopment.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Neuroscience
- Developmental pediatrics
Background:
- Historically, neonatal pain has been unrecognized and undertreated.
- Misconceptions persist regarding infants' capacity to feel, remember, and express pain.
- Beliefs that infants do not experience pain like adults contribute to undertreatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the embryology of pain in neonates.
- To discuss emerging evidence of infant pain memory and its implications.
- To identify and discuss the long-term adverse effects of unrelieved neonatal pain on neurodevelopment.
Main Methods:
- Review of embryological development of pain pathways.
- Synthesis of current research on infant pain memory.
- Analysis of studies detailing long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes following neonatal pain exposure.
Main Results:
- Infants possess the capacity to feel and remember pain.
- Repeated painful experiences can lead to permanent structural and functional changes in the infant's brain and spinal cord.
- Unrelieved neonatal pain is associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Enhanced understanding of infant pain perception is crucial.
- Recognizing infants' ability to remember pain is essential for appropriate care.
- Addressing neonatal pain effectively is vital for optimizing short- and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Abstract:
Pain has been unrecognized and undertreated throughout the history of neonatal care. Misconceptions about the infant's ability to feel, remember, and express pain contribute to this long-standing problem. These misconceptions include beliefs that infants are unable to feel pain like adults or to remember it. This article describes the embryology of pain and includes a discussion of emerging evidence that infants do remember pain and consequently react differently to subsequent painful experiences. In addition, the adverse long-term effects of pain on the developing infant are identified and discussed. Permanent structural and function changes in the brain and spinal cord occur with repeated painful experiences, and adverse outcomes are described. An enhanced understanding of the infant's ability to experience pain and the long-term effects of unrelieved pain are essential to avoid harm and to maximize short- and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in this vulnerable population.