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Updated: Jul 1, 2026
A Preterm Rat Model for Pain Studies
Published on: February 9, 2024
Developmental changes in the responses of preterm infants to a painful stressor
Rachel Lucas-Thompson1, Elise L Townsend, Megan R Gunnar
1Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California Irvine, 300 Social Ecology I, Irvine, CA 92697-7050, USA.
Insights
Preterm infants born earlier show greater physiological stress responses to pain. Assessing both behavior and physiology is crucial for understanding preterm infant stress and risk.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal development
- Pediatric stress physiology
- Infant self-regulation
Background:
- Preterm infants exhibit unique developmental trajectories.
- Self-regulation in preterm infants is critical for adaptation.
- Painful procedures are common in neonatal intensive care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine gestational age differences in preterm infant self-regulation during painful stimuli.
- To compare behavioral and cardiovascular responses to pain longitudinally.
- To explore associations between behavioral and physiological stress indicators.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 49 healthy preterm infants.
- Comparison of infants aged 28-31 weeks vs. 32-34 weeks gestation.
- Assessment of behavioral and cardiovascular responses during heel stick blood draw.
Main Results:
- Both gestational age groups showed stress responses to the heel stick.
- Infants born at younger gestational ages (28-31 weeks) were more physiologically reactive.
- Behavioral stress responses in younger preterm infants did not consistently align with physiological reactivity.
Conclusions:
- Younger preterm infants exhibit heightened physiological vulnerability to pain.
- Discrepancies between behavioral and physiological responses necessitate dual assessment.
- Comprehensive evaluation of preterm infant stress requires integrated physiological and behavioral measures.
Abstract:
The purpose of this investigation was to examine longitudinally gestational age and developmental differences in preterm infants' self-regulatory abilities in response to a painful stressor, as well as associations between behavioral and cardiovascular responses. Participants included 49 healthy premature infants. Behavioral and cardiovascular responses to a heel stick blood draw were compared between infants of 28-31 and 32-34 weeks' gestation age at birth. Both gestational age groups displayed behavioral and cardiovascular indications of stress in response to the blood draw. However, both shortly after birth and several weeks later, infants born at younger gestational ages (28-31 weeks) were more physiologically reactive. Evidence that the behavioral stress responses of 28-31 weeks' gestation age group preterm infants do not reflect their physiological responses suggests that evaluation of preterm infants' experiences and risk require assessments of both physiology and behavior. The greater stress vulnerability of the 28-31 weeks' gestation group relative to the 32-34 weeks' gestation group and the implications of this for subsequent development are discussed.
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