Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 23, 2025

A Preterm Rat Model for Pain Studies
01:37

A Preterm Rat Model for Pain Studies

Published on: February 9, 2024

612

Sensory processing and cortisol at age 4 years: Procedural pain-related stress in children born very preterm

Mia A McLean1,2, Nikoo Niknafs2,3, Olivia C Scoten1

  • 1BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Developmental Psychobiology
|December 30, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Neonatal pain-related stress and cortisol levels are linked to sensory processing issues in preterm children. Girls showed more sensory problems after pain exposure, while both sexes had issues with higher cortisol output.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Children born preterm often experience altered sensory processing, including hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity.
  • Neonatal pain-related stress in preterm infants is linked to dysregulated stress responses, indicated by altered cortisol levels.
  • The relationship between early life adversity, sensory processing, and cortisol regulation in preterm children remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the associations between neonatal pain-related stress, sensory processing profiles, and cortisol levels at age 4 years in preterm children.
  • To determine if these relationships are sex-specific.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal prospective cohort study included 146 infants born between 24-32 weeks gestational age.
  • Neonatal factors, including the number of invasive procedures, were collected.
  • At age 4 years, saliva cortisol was measured, and parents completed the Short Sensory Profile questionnaire.

Main Results:

  • Higher numbers of invasive procedures (pain/stress) were associated with increased sensory processing problems (total, hypo-, and hypersensitivity) in girls only, independent of other neonatal factors.
  • Elevated cortisol output was linked to more total sensory processing problems in girls and hypersensitivity in both sexes, after controlling for neonatal factors.
  • Findings suggest sex-specific effects of neonatal pain-related stress on sensory processing in preschool-aged children.

Conclusions:

  • Sensory processing and cortisol reactivity to stress are related in very preterm children but may have distinct origins.
  • Girls appear more vulnerable to the effects of neonatal pain-related stress on sensory processing.
  • These findings highlight the importance of considering sex-specific factors in managing preterm infants' neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Keywords:
childearly life adversityhypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axisinfantprematurepreschoolsensory processing

More Related Videos

Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities09:38

Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities

Published on: January 29, 2014

11.1K
A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents06:15

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents

Published on: July 10, 2017

13.2K

Related Concept Videos

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System01:11

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

The somatosensory system is the central and peripheral nervous system component that senses and processes touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and body position or proprioception. The process of sensation takes place at three levels:
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the...
10.4K
Information Processing Approach01:30

Information Processing Approach

The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is...
309
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development01:14

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development

The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
1.2K
Physiological Foundation of Stress01:24

Physiological Foundation of Stress

Stress triggers a coordinated physiological response involving the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This dual activation ensures that the body is prepared for both immediate and prolonged stress management. The process begins with the perception of a stressor. This initial phase activates the SNS, leading to the rapid release of adrenaline (epinephrine) from the adrenal glands.
Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System
Adrenaline triggers the...
334
Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
250