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Related Concept Videos

Pain01:20

Pain

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Pain serves as a critical warning signal that alerts the body to potential or actual harm. When mechanical pressure on the skin is intense, such as from a sharp pinch, the sensation transitions from touch to pain. Similarly, extreme temperatures, like a hot pot handle, convert the sensation of heat into pain. Pain can also result from overstimulation of other senses, such as blinding light, loud noise, or the intense heat from habañero peppers. This ability to sense pain is essential for...
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Blood and Nerve Supply to the Bones01:29

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Bones are dynamic organs that require a rich supply of oxygen and nutrients. Around 5% to 10% of the cardiac output supplies blood to the bones. A typical long bone has three main sources: the nutrient artery, the metaphyseal and epiphyseal arteries, and the periosteal arteries.
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When cells are placed in a hypotonic (low-salt) fluid, they can swell and burst. Meanwhile, cells in a hypertonic solution—with a higher salt concentration—can shrivel and die. How do fish cells avoid these gruesome fates in hypotonic freshwater or hypertonic seawater environments?
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Related Experiment Video

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Author Spotlight: Assessing Pain and Promoting Animal Welfare in Laboratory Animals Infected with Trypanosoma evansi
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Pain in aquatic animals.

Lynne U Sneddon1

  • 1University of Liverpool, Institute of Integrative Biology, The BioScience Building, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK lsneddon@liverpool.ac.uk.

The Journal of Experimental Biology
|April 3, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Aquatic animals like fish may experience pain, not just reflex responses. Research shows similarities in pain perception to mammals, raising ethical questions about their use.

Keywords:
Animal painCrustaceansExperimental ethicsFishMolluscsNeurobiologyNociceptors

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Area of Science:

  • Comparative physiology
  • Neuroscience
  • Evolutionary biology

Background:

  • Pain perception is increasingly studied in aquatic species, including molluscs, crustaceans, and fish.
  • Nociception, the detection of painful stimuli, is found in invertebrates like Aplysia.
  • Debate continues on whether non-mammalian species experience pain's subjective component (suffering) beyond nociceptive reflexes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current research on pain perception in aquatic species, focusing on fish and invertebrates.
  • To interpret findings regarding the physiology and evolution of pain.
  • To consider the ethical implications of animal use if pain perception is accepted.

Main Methods:

  • Review of contemporary studies on pain in aquatic animals.
  • Analysis of neurophysiological and behavioral evidence in fish and invertebrates.
  • Comparative assessment of pain mechanisms between aquatic species and mammals.

Main Results:

  • Bony fish possess mammal-like nociceptors and show reduced pain responses with painkillers.
  • Fish exhibit increased brain activity during painful stimulation and prioritize pain over anti-predator behavior.
  • Evidence suggests behavioral changes in invertebrates in response to painful events, despite lacking a vertebrate brain.

Conclusions:

  • The neurophysiological basis of pain in fish is similar to mammals.
  • While controversial, evidence supports pain perception in some invertebrates.
  • Understanding pain in aquatic species has significant implications for their welfare and human use.