Visceral nociception in developing rats

Maturational changes in visceral nociception were measured in developing or adult rats challenged with hypertonic saline or acetylcholine. Chemically induced abdominal constrictions were absent in rats younger than 7 days of age, regardless of the dose of hypertonic saline or acetylcholine used. Age-related increases in the percent of animals responding, the number of abdominal constrictions emitted per responder, and total response duration occurred in animals 10-20 days of age, until adult-like patterns of responding were attained at the time of weaning. Additional changes in the percent animals responding, as well as in the frequency and total duration of abdominal constriction responses, were also seen in postweanling, but not in preweanling, animals. Five-day-old animals did emit audible vocalizations to the intraperitoneal insertion of a hypodermic needle, however, at a time when these animals failed to show observable responses to the noxious visceral stimuli. Hence, mechanisms mediating pain associated with intraperitoneal needle insertion may be functional during the first postnatal week, at a time when mechanisms mediating visceral pain appear to be immature. These differences may be caused by the differential maturation of sensory, neural, or motoric mechanisms important for hypodermic needle insertion versus visceral nociception.